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Loose Women star Linda Robson has spoken for the first time about a health scare that left her pancreas ‘damaged.’
The Birds Of A Feather star, 66, said she has been under supervision by doctors for ‘a while now’ after suffering from gallstones several years ago.
She explained the gallstones, which are small stones, usually made of cholesterol, that form in the gallbladder, had ‘damaged’ her pancreas causing a cyst that had grown from 1cm to 2cm.
Linda said she was awaiting the outcome of a scan and if the results were ‘bad’ she may need her pancreas removed.
On Tuesday’s Loose Women, Linda said: ‘Well I’ve had a bit of a health scare myself.
‘So, quite a few years ago I had gallstones and they damaged my pancreas, and they’ve been keeping an eye on me for a while now.
Linda Robson said her pancreas was ‘damaged’ after suffering gallstones (Picture: ITV / Loose Women)
Linda, pictured with her two daughters, said her children were worried (Picture: Lia Toby/Getty Images)
She said before trailing off: ‘I have to go back and have MRIs and scans all the time but on the 20th September I’ll find out…’
Linda added: ‘Because I had a cyst on my pancreas and it’s gone from 1cm to 2cm so the kids have obviously been really worried about me.’
Her Loose Women co-star Ruth Langsford asked: ‘So this is happening right now?’
Linda replied: ‘If it is bad then they’re going to have to remove my pancreas, which means I’ll then be a diabetic. But fingers crossed it won’t happen, hopefully the cysts haven’t grown.
Later on in the programme, Linda remarked: ‘I feel healthy, I’ve got no signs of it and when I had pancreatitis before I was screaming in agony and being sick and everything, so hopefully it’s stayed the same size.’
Discussing the health scare, Ruth asked her co-star: ‘How do you deal with that as a family? Are you talking?’
Linda revealed: ‘I make jokes about it all the time because I try to diffuse them worrying about me.’
According to the NHS, gallstones often have no symptoms and do not need to be treated but if they become trapped in an opening (duct) inside the gallbladder, it can trigger a sudden, intense pain in your tummy that usually lasts between 1 and 5 hours.
Linda said she may need her pancreas removed after a cyst (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
In these cases, keyhole surgery to remove the gallbladder may be recommended. This procedure, known as a laparoscopic cholecystectomy, is relatively simple to perform and has a low risk of complications.
Linda began her career as an actress with a minor role in BBC drama Survivors, before being cast in The Crezz and short-lived sitcom L for Lester.
In 1989, she joined Birds Of A Feather where she played Tracey Stubbs alongside Pauline Quirke and Lesley Joseph until 1998.
Her other TV credits include The Bill, Crosswords, Casualty and Jobs for the Girls.
Linda made her Loose Women debut in 2003 and has also appeared on reality TV shows including I’m A Celebrity and Celebrity MasterChef.
Loose Women airs weekdays from 12.30pm on ITV.
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