Malandra Burrows' dog alerted her to a lump in her breast before she was diagnosed with cancer.
Malandra Burrows' dog alerted her to a lump in her breast before she was diagnosed with cancer
The former 'Emmerdale' actress - who is best known for playing Kathy Glover in the ITV soap - has told how her pet pooch Teddy knew something was wrong, which led to her finding a lump, which was later diagnosed as breast cancer.
She said: "It was so bizarre. We were watching a movie together and she literally wanted to lie on my chest.
"She'd never done that before. Nuzzling, sort of headbutting me, and this one night she kind of swiped me so hard with her head it really, really hurt, so that same evening, before I went to bed, I checked myself and just thought, 'Oh, she must've bruised me - it's really painful.'
"And that's when I felt this little lump - I thought it was a swollen gland.
"I feel so blessed. I was one of those women who didn't have any symptoms, and without that i just dread to think where I'd be now. It's astonishing and I'm so thankful to her."
The former 'I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!' star - who finished seventh in the ITV show in 2006 - has vowed to "fight" her cancer, admitting she can "do anything" after starring in the programme.
Speaking on 'Lorraine', she added: "I've been in the jungle with Ant and Dec, I can do anything. I'm going to fight this. And that's what I'm going to do."
Last month, Malandra revealed she had been diagnosed with stage three breast cancer.
She said: "I was at the hospital and the first consultant told me it was a cyst.
"He said, 'I won’t be seeing you again.' The relief I felt. But then the consultant said they needed to see me as soon as possible and added, 'Could you bring someone with you?' But I thought I’ve got to take this on my own. I’m single, and I felt I couldn’t do that to a friend. When I went in, I found myself greeted by a Macmillan nurse and I just knew."