Alex Kingston is offering a candid glimpse into her harrowing health journey. The former ER star revealed that she was diagnosed with womb cancer (also known as uterine cancer) in 2024, following years of unexplained symptoms. "I had assumed that the way I was feeling was just a part of old age, and I kind of just accepted it," Alex, 62, told The Independent in an interview published on October 10. "I thought, ‘OK, this is what it’s like to be in my sixties.’ But it turned out that a lot of what I was experiencing was due to my illness."
The Doctor Who actress noted that she had been dealing with "persistent bloating" and "aching pains" for years. However, it wasn’t until she noticed blood in her urine that she decided to seek a second opinion from her doctor. While awaiting answers, Alex continued to embrace her passion for theater, even taking on starring roles, including a performance in The Other Boleyn Girl at the Chichester Festival last summer.
Yet, Alex—who shares a 24-year-old daughter, Salome Haertel, with her ex-husband, Florian Haertel—faced another terrifying ordeal while performing on stage. "That night, I hemorrhaged on stage," she recalled, her voice tinged with emotion. "It was absolutely shocking. I just crossed my knees tightly together and prayed it would absorb everything. The wardrobe team was incredible. I dashed offstage and shouted, ‘Get me some pads!’ We stuffed some pads into my pants, and I went right back out to finish the show."
Despite this horrifying experience, Alex didn’t receive her womb cancer diagnosis until after completing her six-week run in the production. "I never even considered cancer as a possibility," the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit alum explained, reflecting on her mindset after hearing the news. "It was a complete shock because I generally have a very positive outlook on life. Even though my body was clearly signaling that something was seriously wrong, I kept telling myself, ‘Oh, it’s probably just a bad UTI or fibroids.’"
Alex—now happily married to film producer Jonathan Stamp—shared that the cancer had spread to her fallopian tubes but had not reached her ovaries. As a result, she spent the remainder of the year undergoing treatment. "I had a major operation," she noted. "I underwent a hysterectomy and radiation therapy, which took up a significant portion of my life."
Now in recovery, the BAFTA-nominated actress expressed that this grueling ordeal helped her reconnect with someone incredibly special: herself. "Despite everything I’ve been through," she added, "and any cancer is incredibly tough to accept and prepare yourself for all the necessary procedures to regain your health, the moment I had the surgery, I suddenly felt like myself again."
