This Star Burns Bright - Victoria Ekanoye

Victoria's impressive list of credits includes notable television shows such as Coronation Street (2017-2019), where she portrayed the character of Angie Appleton, and The Royals (2015-2018), where she showcased her talent as Rachel.

In addition to her television work, Victoria has also appeared in a range of other projects, including Almost Never (2019), Doctors (2020), The Worst Witch (2020), Christmas in Paradise (2020), and Death in Paradise (2022). 

In this episode, we have a candid conversation about Victoria's background in acting and the way Cancer touched both our lives.

Chapters

• 0:37 Introduction
• 2:43 The Cancer Battle
• 7:04 Checks
• 9:58 Charity
• 16:28 Being Open
• 18:09 The Norm
• 21:34 Filming
• 22:10 The Naked Truth

Transcript

The networking Magazine - UK Press (00:12.27)

Hello and welcome to another episode of Jibba Jabba. I'm your host, Sanj Saigal and today we have Victoria Ekanoye joining us. Not only a talented actress, but also an incredible singer. Hi Victoria and welcome to the show. Hi Sanj, how are you? Thank you so much for having me. Well for people who don't know you, or know who you are, which is next to impossible, you have a full list of credits including notable television shows such as 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (00:41.398)
Coronation Street where you portrayed the character of Angie Appleton and the Royals where you you showcased your talent as Rachel. But you've also done some television work maybe you could talk a little bit about that. What sort of TV work have you done? gosh. I'd say one of the I had a really great time doing Death in Paradise because I was I was a villain and it's always fun to play the villain. That was that was you know. 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (01:10.86)
And was in Guadeloupe as well, so we can't really complain when it comes to location. You had an amazing location. beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. was actually in the on off, I say on off, gosh, the craziness of Covid. So we were all partially, well, we were in lockdown and so was kind of the rules were changing here and there and it was stressful in that way. Plus I have my son with me and my mom. 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (01:38.974)
which was really wonderful. think it's so important that companies just get that, you know, parents have children and sometimes bringing them with you is the way that they'll get the job done. But yeah, it was wonderful. I'd say, gosh, Almost Never, Doctors, The Worst Witch, I've done this year I have three movies and a TV series out. 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (02:06.06)
So move, moving along, moving along. yeah, moving up. But you also, you were also on Celebrity X Factor as well. I can't skip over that. That was an amazing clip that I saw on YouTube of you, but yes. Okay. Moving on. Well, you and I have something in common and that's cancer. I wanted to try and talk about that today for people who are going through it. people have been through it. I thought on some level. 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (02:33.294)
we could relate to those people and give them an insight into such a horrible disease. What do you think? gosh, let's dive in. All right, let's go. Well, I'll start with me so that people know because not many people know this actually. It's a big secret, I sort of hid from it. But I was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2023 and underwent six gruelling rounds of chemotherapy. 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (03:00.703)
something I wanted to put behind me and move on. But then it became apparent that if I talked about it in the open, I could save a life or help someone to get through it. And that opportunity didn't really come along until I met you. And I know from your perspective, you've suffered with cancer. What was your cancer like? So my son was six months old, I was breastfeeding him and I found a lump, which itself is a 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (03:30.4)
is quite jarring because you know, it sounds really dramatic, you're having to contemplate life and death at the same time. I have this beautiful baby in my arms and I'm feeding him and that part of my body is giving him life, but could potentially kill me. it's, know, it was, completely took the wind out of my sails. And I at the time didn't say anything to my partner because his mum had just been diagnosed with 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (03:58.464)
ovarian cancer and I didn't want him to bear that weight. So I didn't say anything until I was very close to being sure what was going on. I had two ultrasounds at two different hospitals and they told me that I was fine. The second actually told me they thought it was blocked milk ducts and just to continue feeding my son until he was one and then 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (04:27.118)
the milk dry up for one month and then go back for a mammogram. I then this was just before death in paradise, actually. And then I flew out there and whilst I was there and adjusting my microphone, I found a second lump. So I mean that. you feel different? mean, for people listening in, I mean, did you feel different? Did you did you know it deep down? Something's wrong and I need, you know, something's really wrong. I knew something was wrong, but 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (04:56.906)
I was feeling different on a daily basis because I just had a baby, your hormones all over the place, chemically, hormonally, emotionally, physically, everything's, you know, it's haywire. so it's, and it's really understandable why a lot of women who do develop breast cancer whilst, you know, postpartum, they assume that the changes are because they're breastfeeding or because they just had a baby. 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (05:24.01)
actually that's when you almost have to be your most vigilant because it can hide, you know, it can hide within other symptoms. Personally, I found a lump and I was really lucky because I was able to breastfeed and my, when I produced so much milk that the milk would push the lump to the top so I could see it. that's, you know, breastfeeding saved me, having Theo save me for other women, the symptoms may be different. it's just... 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (05:53.518)
I get that. had a lump on my neck, was, which was very, I I know I saw a picture that you put up, they put up on these women and I saw that mine was on my neck. And so I know it was there. I was a constant reminder. It was there. And I tried to sort of hide from, did you hide from cancer? Did you not want to tell it? know you, you know, from your closest friends and that sort of thing. Did you hide? Is that quite a normal thing when you have breast cancer, when you're being investigated, when you're 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (06:23.182)
undergoing some sort of investigative work? Did you just hide away? I think in general, it's really common for people to just bury themselves away from telling people, from normal life. It really is an assault on every single sense. And I think it is really normal. think the only reason why I didn't do that, or the two reasons why I didn't do that is one, 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (06:53.038)
I'm a patron for Prevent Breast Cancer and so I'm, you know, I'm fundraising and I'm giving speeches and I'm working with different organizations. I'm constantly telling people how much they have to advocate for themselves and I'm saying check your breasts once a month, don't do it too frequently, you might miss it. All of the things that I was saying, that definitely made me feel like I can't be, I have to practice what I preach. 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (07:21.024)
And then the other thing is I'm the fifth person in my family to develop breast cancer, my mum being one of them. So I absolutely couldn't let it go. you know, my partner would say I'm And I would say, OK, I'll take it because it means I'm still here today to tell the story. Because, you know, I had to take I had to get a third opinion before I got my diagnosis. And and most people would take the first opinion, run for the hills. 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (07:50.946)
happy that there's nothing wrong. But had I done that, then I either may have caught it too late or would have had no infochemotherapy. So I'm really grateful for that stubborn echonoid streak. I don't know about you, but when I was diagnosed, Google seemed, I was all over Google. I was trying to do as much research as I could and was just too much information. It was just 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (08:19.854)
worrying. I mean, I thought, my God, this is it. You know, I better say my goodbyes. But, you know, is it quite a normal thing? is it a myth? Do we self diagnose? Do we look at Google as the answer? I mean, what did you do when you found out? you were you all over Google? Yeah, Dr. Google is our best friend, isn't it? We do look too much. I think it's a blessing and a curse. I think it can be a curse because it can make you spiral. Yeah. 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (08:45.792)
in a completely different direction to where you need to be or to worry about things that aren't yet facts. You know, it's just, gosh, this might happen. gosh, that might happen. And what you really, what I have really noticed, not just with myself, but everybody that I've spoken to, who has battled cancer is your mindset is everything. The doctors do what they do. And then, and then you focus on your mental health and that that is half the battle. So Dr. Google can really be a curse in that instance. However, I think 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (09:15.766)
when you are feeling certain ways about your either diagnosis or being concerned that you're going to be diagnosed, you can see there's comfort in seeing that other people are feeling the same way. I think that, you know, having a quick Google about something, I have felt this, is this normal? Other people will be like, I felt this too, went to the doctors. It turns out it's this, thank God I caught it in time. So I think we can over. 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (09:45.802)
self-diagnosed, guess, to an extent. Yeah, absolutely. I don't think there's anything wrong with educating yourself to a level and then letting the doctors take over. Yeah, absolutely. Talk to me about those charities. I mean, you're doing wonderful work. Should people, I mean, at what stage does a charity get involved? I I had a Macmillan nurse straight away when I was first diagnosed. And, you know, it was quite reassuring to see that there was somebody there. 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (10:15.566)
How involved are you with the charities you said you're giving speeches? I at what stage do people contact the charities? The charities are there all the time for every stage because whether it's you found a lump and you're waiting for a result or you've had the result and you know that you're going to have surgery, whether you're a family member or a friend of someone who's going through it, because the ripple effect is so huge. It's horrible. Yeah, it's horrible. 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (10:44.758)
affects every aspect of your life, whether that be your work life, your social life, your sex life, your relationships with friends, family, everything. And then your relationship with yourself, because all of a sudden you are facing your mortality and potentially on the other side of it, after surgery, you're facing a image of yourself in the mirror. Absolutely. And so I think, you know, 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (11:12.15)
the charities, the support groups, all of that. are for me the real heroes. I'm a patron of Prevent Breast Cancer who are all about, as it says in the title, prevention, protection. It's looking at your family history, looking at lifestyle changes that you can make, preventative surgery, preventative medication. If you have a high 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (11:40.598)
if you know you have genetic testing and it turns out that you have a high percentage of developing breast cancer, people can choose to take medication to lower that percentage and it really does work. I mean, I only had breast cancer in the left breast, but I had a double mastectomy and I chose that. The right was preventative surgery because I don't want to live with that huge cloud over my head for the rest of my life. I read about that with Angelina Jolie. She did the same as you. It was preventative, I think. 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (12:09.836)
because her mother had it. know, so yeah. she had an 80 something percent chance, I think it was. So she had to take action. Yeah, it's like not on my watch. And I admired that and I followed her story. And that was so much, you know, so long ago in comparison to myself. But I saw my mum go through it and I just thought this is something I have to take seriously. Yeah. So reaching out to, you know, to people who have cancer, who've gone through it. 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (12:39.694)
Can you tell us a little bit about how family can support, know, what should they do? Should they sit in the background and not, because so many people take a step back. I don't want to hassle her. don't want to ask her how she's feeling. I don't want to say, you know, how can they be supportive? Was there something you loved when you, you can remember that you loved when family were around you and is it a taboo subject? No one should bring it up and step on glass next to you or. 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (13:07.726)
did you mind talking about it? Were you quite open with it? was. I know that everybody's different. So it isn't a one size fits all. Some people are very private and it takes a lot for them to open up. Not just, mean, people might be incredibly open and then all of a sudden they get a cancer diagnosis and it shuts down. So it is really about trying to read the room, which is really, really difficult, but just saying, 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (13:33.926)
I'm here if you need me. I'm here if you want to talk. If you don't want to talk, we can go do something fun to take your minds off it. There are so many ways, I think, for me in which my friends and family, my support network were second to none. They were incredible. My partner, Johnny, literally, gosh, bless him. It was COVID as well and we just had a baby and he was traveling back and forth. 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (14:00.908)
And then obviously my own mom who had been through it and also was a mother and my sister and my best friends. it was so much for them. And actually, the hardest part for me was managing their emotions and how I felt guilt that I was making them go through this, which I know now, looking back on it was not the way I should have been feeling, but you can't help it. I've realized one of the things I'm working on 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (14:30.594)
breast cancer documentary at the moment. And one of the things I've realized that in certain cultures, there's a lot of shame and taboo when it comes to talking about your diagnosis, talking about cancer and sickle cell too, which I'm also a patron of. with both of those, the more we talk, the longer we live, passing down information, making sure everybody is 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (14:53.966)
fully equipped with as much knowledge as they can to be able to catch things early because early detection is key when it comes to your diagnosis. But also just feeling supported, like your mental health, your physical health, it's all one. And we only have one body, you know, we only have one mind, one shot at today. And it sounds really cheesy, but it's so true. have to... I didn't realize that you and I have even more in common. He's my father, unfortunately, passed. He's a three year battle. 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (15:23.726)
with prostate cancer. I understand when you said, didn't realize. Yeah, it was so cancer's been sort of there in the background for many years. So, know, I was the principal care for him. So I went through it with him and then I got it. It was a double-edged sword. It was a really double-edged sword. So I guess you watched your mom battle for it as well. she 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (15:49.838)
My mom didn't tell anybody until the day before she was going into the hospital for the lumpectomy. Now, I understand why she did that. She was trying to protect everybody. Obviously at the time it was difficult because we just wanted to be there for her, but I understand why she did that because I did the same with my partner and most of my friends. But you know, 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (16:18.198)
I'm, as I say, I'm the fifth person in my family now to develop breast cancer, the ninth to develop any form of cancer. And what we are now is very open. We all talk and it's so, so important to do refreshing actually, you know, talking to someone who's actually had cancer makes it feel, for me anyway, having cancer, feels great that, you know, I'm talking to you today. So what about information and seeking support then? mean, 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (16:46.09)
said the charities get involved. Is it like Macmillan? Do you have the support mechanism of a nurse that can get in contact with you? I mean, how does the charity work? So with Prevent Breast Cancer, they will, as I said, they look into, you know, your family history and everything. But they, what I love about them is they are trying to, I guess, solve the issue before it becomes an issue. 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (17:12.958)
So they've got the genetic side of things as well. They're raising funds for all of the screenings that, you know, women are missing screenings and men are missing screenings all the time. Out of fear, out of not realizing just how important they are. But they're really, kind of, they hone in on the fact that we have to, and I say this all the time, we have to take ownership of our own bodies. mean, 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (17:39.982)
Even after my diagnosis, had friends contacting me saying, I'm so sorry, is there anything we can do? And I said, honestly, get out your calendar, put one date in the diary, keep it every single month and check your breasts. That's all I needed to do for me because they didn't realize that checking their breasts daily isn't actually going to be the most. 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (18:02.102)
efficient way of safeguarding yourself because say I see you every single day for a month, I'm not going to notice your hair growing. But if I see you a month after, then I've known the change and that's the same for anyone for everyone's body and also understanding your normal. That's one of the things prevent breast cancer are very, very hot on like you may have I have a lump for instance, in my right breast that has been there for gosh, over 10 years. 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (18:30.296)
But it doesn't change. It is a fibroidinoma. It's benign. And I know that that is normal for me. Once I discovered another lump in a different location that wasn't normal, I knew then I had to go and get it checked. So it's becoming really comfortable with your own body and they're big advocates of that as well. They're wonderful. The other charity isn't cancer related. It's Sickle Care Men. Yeah, they are just incredible. 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (18:58.38)
Very little funding, but they work their backsides off regardless. And we'll be hopefully having an evening later on this year for World Tickle Cell Day. It's such a debilitating condition and not many people, A, have heard of it or B, they have really know what it is and what it can do to the person and to the family. So I'm incredibly honoured. Thank you. 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (19:27.69)
I think you hit the nail on the head there because cancer is not just the person, is it? It's the family too. I I went through it, my family were my backbone really. you know, it was a tough time for all of us. We all had to tackle cancer together, not just me, you know. So it was really tough. Tell me about this documentary then. When is it going out? When can we see you on this documentary? Where will it be aired? How can people watch it? 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (19:55.886)
Well, we're still filming. It was supposed to be a much smaller project, but the more we did, the more we realized that we have to do more. So we went out to Cape Town, to South Africa. went to the shanty towns, which, my gosh, it's so humbling to be around people talking about their life with cancer when they have nothing around them. You know, we're incredibly privileged to be where we are. 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (20:25.386)
And it's, it's absolutely. we are working tirelessly. I'm interviewing scientists, research teams, survivors, families of those who lost their battle. And it's in, in, in its essence, it's about African women and the diaspora and the disparity of the diagnosis and the mortality rates. But it's actually. 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (20:52.798)
documentary for everyone because if we're winning for black women in breast cancer, we're winning for all people with breast cancer because there is a huge disparity in the mortality rate, the age at which we're diagnosed, the chances of survival and also, you know, ultimately 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (21:15.918)
we're all just wanting and needing the same thing, to be loved, look after everybody. And so, you know, the colour of our skin, where we were born, all of that is just circumstance. And we all need to be pulling together to fight the disease, not each other. it's not something someone can watch right now because we're still filming. We plan to get it out. We're hoping to get it out this year, actually, but... 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (21:43.008)
It is growing. The project is growing. Where will it be aired? Globally. yeah, we're in talks with Netflix and Amazon. We also would like for it to be available for people who don't have subscriptions to things because you know, it's not everybody's going to be able to afford those things. Whereas this is information that anyone and everyone would benefit from. It's called the naked truth. 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (22:12.94)
and the anchor. I'll be my story of breast cancer will be the thread, but we will be speaking to so many people, incredible people, and hopefully people can resonate with them all. Amazing. Listen, thank you so, so much for joining me today. think your message is so important, especially with checking yourself and whether you're male or female, is something, know, we're one in two, I think it is now with the statistics. 

The networking Magazine - UK Press (22:41.878)
Yeah, it was refreshing to talk to you today. And hopefully, we'll get you back on the show at some point. Love to have you back. yes. Well, that's all for today's episode of Jibba Jabba. I hope in some way that this podcast will relate to the audience and draw attention to Victoria's documentary. Please remember to like, share and comment. Thank you for joining us today. Until next time. Bye for now. Bye bye.