Former Coronation Street star Lucy-Jo Hudson has discussed her chronic anaemia diagnosis.
The actress, 42, who played Katy Harris in the ITV soap between 2002 and 2005, took to Instagram to update her followers on a hospital dash that took place two years ago.
‘Not my usual post,’ she began, ‘But with it being National Blood Week I wanted to share something with you.’
‘2 years ago I was rushed into A&E, I was constantly exhausted, running on empty, struggling to breath, low mood, really struggling in my overall mental and physical health, and I just put it down to the fast pace of “life”.
‘Because in today’s world you’re expected to be able to juggle it all right? And the daily stresses of being a working mum, and spinning a million plates is blumming stressful… but what I didn’t realise is that the reason I was feeling all of this is because I had an underlying health issue… chronic anaemia.’
The Wild at Heart star continued: ‘Which meant I was in desperate need of a blood transfusion (hence why I got rushed to hospital).
‘It turned out that my haemoglobin levels were that dangerously low I needed 2 transfusions and I was kept in hospital for a few days so they could keep on eye on my levels.’
She went on to thank staff at Salford Royal Hospital in Greater Manchester, saying she felt she was ‘in the best hands’ with an ‘unbelievable’ doctor in the emergency department.
Lucy-Jo then stressed the importance of being a blood donor.
‘So I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you to each and every one of you who donate blood! What you do is truly amazing’ she added.
‘I know from the NHS that just one of your donations can save up to 3 lives…. Mine included.
‘Blood donations save lives every day, they are needed in emergencies, during operations, childbirth, in the treatment of cancer and sickle cell disease, the list is endless
‘So this is a thankyou to those selflessly giving blood that helped me and thousands of other people who really needed it. And did you know that almost 1 million new donors are needed by 2027 to give blood? The stats are crazy right?’
Earlier this year the actress was reunited with her former Hollyoaks on-screen son Owen Warner as they filmed a new project – a short film he’s penned called Goodbai.
The two played mother and son Donna-Marie Quinn and Romeo Nightingale in the Channel 4 soap, first arriving in 2018.
Lucy-Jo left the show in September 2023, when the character decided to depart the village for rehab, fearing that her addiction issues would destroy her relationship with her children.
