Beverley Callard became emotional as she watched back her I’m A Celebrity South Africa exit on Tuesday night, revealing she had no idea she was battling breast cancer.

The series was pre-recorded in Kruger National Park last year, with the actress, 69, forced to leave on medical grounds after ‘a funny turn’. Four months after filming, she was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer.

In an Instagram video, Beverley explained what the incident was that prompted her to leave and how it was the ‘start’ of her battle with cancer.

Beverley said: ‘I just watched my exit on I’m A Celeb and it made me cry all over again. Of course, I didn’t know then that I had cancer but I just knew that it was the last couple of days there that I hadn’t felt very well.

‘What happened was, I went into the Bush Telegraph and apparently, I lost consciousness for a little while. I just wasn’t feeling myself.

‘They took me to a medical hut and they were amazing. They really looked after me and they said “you can’t go back”.

Beverley Callard became emotional as she watched back her I'm A Celebrity South Africa exit on Tuesday night, revealing she had no idea at the time she was battling breast cancer
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Beverley Callard became emotional as she watched back her I’m A Celebrity South Africa exit on Tuesday night, revealing she had no idea at the time she was battling breast cancer

‘And I said “don’t say that, don’t send me home, I’ll be fine”. I wanted to succeed and make it through to the end but that was the start of everything. It’s made me really emotional but I will beat this. I will beat it.’

On the show, Beverley told camp: ‘I’ve got something to tell you all. I didn’t feel very well this morning and I had a bit of a funny turn and they’ve said I can’t come back in I’ve got to go.

‘I’m absolutely gutted. I don’t want to go’.

Campmate Ashley Roberts reassured her, ‘You’ve got to look after yourself and we will see you in a few days’.

Beverley continued: ‘I don’t want this to finish. I wanted to prove that older women could do it’.

The campmates were left in shock by the departure as Adam broke down in tears, ‘It is so sad to see her go out like that’, while Scarlett Moffatt added, ‘The camp won’t be the same without her’.

After being forced to leave on medical grounds, Bev gushed she had the most ‘wonderful’ time of her life.

She said: ‘I had the experience of a lifetime. The people were amazing. They were the best bunch of people ever. Yes, we were hungry and we were dirty but it was wonderful.’

Beverley Callard broke down in tears as she was forced to leave I'm A Celebrity South Africa in shock departure after falling ill in camp on Tursday night's episode
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Beverley Callard broke down in tears as she was forced to leave I’m A Celebrity South Africa in shock departure after falling ill in camp on Tursday night’s episode

The actress revealed she had become unwell in the night and ITV had told her she cannot continue on the show due to ill health
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The actress revealed she had become unwell in the night and ITV had told her she cannot continue on the show due to ill health

Bev continued: ‘This time completely overshadowed 2020. I’m so glad I said yes, because I did have to think about it. I’ve been covered in bugs before, did I really want to do it again?

‘Also, last time I’d just had a new hip, so there were a lot of challenges I wasn’t allowed to do. I hated that, because I’m not like that. I wanted to be up for everything and this time I could be.

‘The sunshine and the climate changed everything. It completely knocked 2020 out of the park.’

Previously Bev had taken part in the 20th series of the hit show hosted my Ant and Dec which took place 20th in 2020, at Gwrych Castle in Wales.

The star finished in fourth place with Giovanna Fletcher being crowned queen of the castle.

She said: 'I've got something to tell you all. I didn't feel very well and I had a bit of a funny turn and they've said I can't come back in I've got to go. 'I'm absolutely gutted. I don't want to go'
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She said: ‘I’ve got something to tell you all. I didn’t feel very well and I had a bit of a funny turn and they’ve said I can’t come back in I’ve got to go. ‘I’m absolutely gutted. I don’t want to go’

Ashley Roberts reassured her, 'You've got to look after yourself and we will see you in a few days'. Bev added: 'I don't want this to finish. I wanted to prove that older women could do it'
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Ashley Roberts reassured her, ‘You’ve got to look after yourself and we will see you in a few days’. Bev added: ‘I don’t want this to finish. I wanted to prove that older women could do it’

The campmates were left in shock by the exit as Adam broke down in tears, 'It is so sad to see her go out like that', while Scarlett Moffatt said, 'The camp won't be the same without her'
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The campmates were left in shock by the exit as Adam broke down in tears, ‘It is so sad to see her go out like that’, while Scarlett Moffatt said, ‘The camp won’t be the same without her’

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I’m A Celeb’s Beverley Callard gives a health update after undergoing surgery for breast cancer

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Beverley recently gave a health update after undergoing surgery for breastcancer and said it had spread to one of her lymph nodes.

The Coronation Street legend announced her heartbreaking early-stage diagnosis on February 6, and 14 days later, underwent an operation in which she had multiple lymph nodes removed as a precaution.

Speaking in an Instagram video last week, she said that while her cancer was successfully removed, it had spread.

Beverley said after an agonising two-month wait for the results, her consultant from the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital had said the surgery ‘went really well’ and they ‘cut the cancer out’.

In the video, actress added: ‘They’re pleased with how the surgery went, and they also took three lymph nodes.

‘And this is how she explained it to me: the lymph nodes are like a staircase, and if cancer is in the lymph nodes, it sort of tends to climb up the stairs. That’s oversimplifying it, but just to help explain.’

Beverley continued: ‘They took three and cancer is in the first lymph node, it’s not in the second, two and three. So it is there, but it’s only small.’

The lymph node containing the cancer will be ‘sent to America’ to determine ‘how aggressive’ the disease is, which Beverley will find out in a few weeks.

She said: ‘If it’s aggressive, then I will have to undergo chemo first and then, after that, radiotherapy.

‘If it’s not aggressive, I will have the radiotherapy as was planned. So, I’ve just got to wait and see now again.’

Beverley explained how she felt bittersweet after finding out the results and added: ‘In one way, it was kind of good news that the surgeries worked well, which I’m really pleased about, but because it’s in the lymph nodes, it’s still a worry. And still a waiting time, which is an absolute pain.

‘But there we go, and I’m sure loads of you have been through the same thing. So that’s the state of play.’

Earlier this month, Beverley said she ‘cannot paint a smile on her face’ as she revealed her breast cancer surgery results had been delayed due to a backlog.

The soap star revealed she has been battling the disease after being diagnosed just after she relocated to Dublin to start her new job on Irish soap Fair City.