'EastEnders' Tanya plot should have positive impact, says Jo Joyner

EastEnders star Jo Joyner has revealed that she is keen to raise awareness and provoke discussion with her current illness storyline.

The actress's character Tanya Jessop was diagnosed with cervical cancer earlier this year, and viewers will see the mum-of-three begin chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment in next week's episodes.

Joyner has now told Inside Soap that she is already receiving feedback from people who are in the same situation as Tanya.

"I've had people come up and tell me, 'I've got what Tanya's got'," she explained. "Obviously the people in that situation know and understand it, but I'm hoping Tanya's story will be useful for their friends and family - even if it just helps to open up the channels of conversation about it all."

Joyner added that hearing thoughts from real-life cancer patients has helped to shape the direction of the storyline.

"I said to this one lady, 'What would you not want to see us doing in the show?' She said, 'I'd hate to see Tanya being too brave - there's nothing brave about this'. That was such a profound thing to hear, so I just had to pass that on to the writers on the show," she said.

"Tanya's so scared right now, but she thinks she has a good chance. EastEnders is investing plenty of time in this, though I'm honestly not sure how it's going to end. We'll have to wait and see."

> EastEnders Tanya will have a slow decline, says Jo Joyner
> EastEnders Tanya gets cold feet over treatment, reveals Jo Joyner
> Read more EastEnders spoilers and news

Watch Tanya's EastEnders character trail below: