Showbiz

Jennifer Saunders: 'Cancer treatment becomes your job'

Published Tuesday, Dec 6 2011, 08:50 GMT | By Daniel Sperling | 3 comments

Jennifer Saunders has opened up about her diagnosis with breast cancer and her subsequent struggle with the menopause and depression.

The Absolutely Fabulous actress, who was declared cancer free in July 2010 after being diagnosed the previous year, said that she began to see her treatment for the condition as another "job" and battled through the side effects of the drug Tamoxifen, which interferes with the activity of oestrogen.

"You just grit your teeth and bear it," she told The Mirror.

"It becomes your job and your job is now getting through this next year of whatever...I found the Tamoxifen the hardest thing because it changes you. It's like suddenly becoming older. You feel f*gged out, you lose your motor and it makes you feel depressed. You have that 'I want to go to bed and sleep forever' kind of feeling.

"[With Tamoxifen] you are pushed into menopause like jumping off a cliff. I'd say, 'The whole world is against me'. And [my friend would] say, 'No, darling, I think that might be depression'."

Saunders went on to credit friends and her husband Ade Edmondson for her eventual recovery, saying that they all kept her spirits up as she underwent treatment.

"Ade was all right, actually. He's a sort of rock in that he never gives anything away and he's very good at letting you get on with it," she said. "I [also] have really good girlfriends who'd look after me and sit with me in the chemo sessions.

"I have to say, I thought quite a lot of it was hilarious. Once you get through the fact that you're going to feel bad, you know you're going to get through it. And, actually, we used to laugh so, so much. I used to totter up the street on their arms to see if I could get a drink in me. 'Can one of us get a drink? I need a drink! I need more chemicals'. We used to have such fun."

The first promo picture for Saunders' upcoming Absolutely Fabulous 20th anniversary specials were released last month. The first of the two episodes will air on BBC One on Christmas Day.