I’m A Celeb’s Beverley Callard addresses confusion over ITV appearance amid cancer battle

Beverley Callard had opened up about her cancer battle ahead of her return to ITV’s I’m A Celebrity… South Africa

Beverley Callard will appear on this year’s edition of I’m A Celebrity…South Africa(Image: ITV)

Beverley Callard has spoken out about the confusion among some fans ahead of her appearance on I’m A Celebrity… South Africa. The 69-year-old actress, best known for playing Rovers Return landlady Liz McDonald on Coronation Street, revealed earlier this year that she had been diagnosed with early stage breast cancer and underwent her first round of surgery just over a month ago.

The soap star, who first appeared on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! in 2020, is set to return to screens from Easter Monday, joining a host of former campmates from the ITV survival series as they compete to be crowned the next Jungle Legend.

She will take on challenges alongside stars like Gogglebox’s Scarlett Moffatt, who was crowned Queen of the Jungle in 2016, and TOWIE’s Gemma Collins, who famously quit the show after just three days in 2014. However, some fans have questioned how she could participate while managing significant health issues.

Beverley has been candid about her health struggles from the beginning and took to Instagram on Sunday night to remind fans that the show is pre-recorded, not broadcast live like the main series, the Mirror reports.

Fans think that the Coronation Street legend is about to fly out to South Africa amid her health woes(Image: beverleycallard/Instagram)

She said: “Well, I’ve just got to, first of all, I’ve got to say Happy Easter – even though it’s a bit late – to everybody. Not a bad day today, but I didn’t eat chocolate because I just didn’t fancy it. And also, I want to remind everyone that tomorrow at 9pm, Easter Monday, I’m A Celebrity…South Africa begins.

“And I know everybody thinks I’m suddenly going away to South Africa. I’m not. We did film it a little while ago. So please watch it because it’s frightening, wonderful, horrifying, funny – it was terrifying, exhilarating, everything. But believe me, it’s great television, honestly, so I hope you enjoy it.”

The series was filmed in South Africa in September 2025. Beverley, who had her first operation in early March and was expecting her results in early April, revealed she received some bad news just before the long Easter weekend.

Speaking to her followers once more, she heartbreakingly admitted she could no longer pretend everything was fine as she headed to a photoshoot to promote her new role on the Irish soap Fair City.

She said: “Well, I had to do a photoshoot yesterday and on the way there – it was for a magazine about Fair City – and on the way there, Jon [my husband] was driving, and I was in the passenger seat. My phone rang, and it said the caller ID. Usually, it’s the hospital or one of the consultants from the hospital and I thought ‘Okay, this is it, my results.’ It was one of the amazing cancer care nurses from Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, they are fantastic.

Bev will be returning to our screens in I’m A Celebrity South Africa(Image: PA )

“She wanted to know how I was doing. I told her that I’ve got quite a lot of soreness, which I’ve not had for ages but it came on a few days ago. She said I could be overdoing things, hopefully I’m not, I’ve had a lazy day today. But then she said ‘No results yet because there is a backlog,’ so hopefully I will get them next week.

“You know when your heart is in your mouth? You think ‘This is it. It’s coming now, any minute,’ and then, no, nothing. Obviously, we were still moving in the car, and I just thought ‘I can’t do this now, I cannot paint a smile on my face again.'”

In early March, Beverley told fans she had roughly four weeks of waiting to find out whether the operation had been successful, and at the time, she appeared hopeful about the outcome.

She said: “So, the next stage, is, in about four weeks, we will find out if she managed to get all the cancer out and we’ll also get the results of whether it was in the lymph nodes or not.

“If I’m cancer-free, then, a few weeks after that, I will begin radiotherapy. If I’m not cancer-free, then we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. But I have a feeling I will be. I don’t why I have that feeling but I just have.”