EXCLUSIVE: Huge 'ER' Actress Reveals Horror Moment While Performing That Led to Her Being Diagnosed With Cancer
An 'ER' actress had no idea she was suffering from cancer.
March 6 2026, Published 3:00 p.m. ET
RadarOnline.com can reveal ER star Alex Kingston didn't realize she was stricken with uterine cancer until after she started hemorrhaging on stage.
Opening up about why she chose to speak publicly about the illness after initially keeping it private in an emotional interview, the actress, 62, reflected on the horror moment she realized something was seriously wrong, and explained how she initially believed the symptoms she experienced were simply part of getting older.
'Just Part and Parcel of Getting Older'
Alex Kingston revealed she discovered her cancer after collapsing on stage.
Kingston – who is famed for playing Dr. Elizabeth Corday in NBC's medical hit ER as well as for a string of movie roles – said in a new magazine chat: "I hadn't realized that uterine cancer was a cancer that didn't get much airtime.
"I think it's probably because, on the whole, it is a cancer where if you recognize something is wrong, your body is able to tell you. And if it's caught early enough, it is survivable."
Kingston added, "Because I'm such a positive person, even though my body was trying to tell me that something was very wrong, I wasn't reading the signs. I thought that all the things, such as the bloating and weight gain, or injuries not healing properly, were because of my age."
"I thought, 'This is what it's like to be in your 60s, and it's just part and parcel of getting older,'" she noted.
The 'ER' actress initially dismissed her symptoms as signs of aging.
Kingston continued: "It was only when I was doing a play, and I started hemorrhaging on stage, that I realized, 'Oh, there's something going on.' But even then, I thought maybe I'd got a burst fibroid. I never, ever went down the cancer road, so it was a shock."
Former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Kingston initially chose not to discuss the diagnosis publicly, explaining she wanted to maintain privacy while continuing her work and television appearances.
Kingston continued working while dealing with the illness.
She said: "I kept it quiet for a long time. I'm quite a private person, and I felt, 'Why should I talk about my cancer?' and also on Strictly (Come Dancing), I thought 'I don't want my journey to be about my sickness'. I wanted it to be about going forward and life affirmation."
Kingston added, "But then I realized when I started to get responses from people that, actually, this is important. If nothing else, it's important to encourage people that if their body is behaving in a slightly unusual way, don't just write it off as being old or suddenly becoming gluten intolerant.
"It could be something else, and to go and have it checked. So I feel now that it was a good thing that I opened up about it."
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
The TV star shared her story to inspire others to get checked.
Kingston also spoke about her outlook on ageing after her nightmarish health ordeal.
"I've never spent time thinking about my age," she said. "I know I'm getting older, but I do try to just live in the moment."
Kingston added, "And I've never felt like I have to subscribe to the norms or the rules that have been set about how one should behave at a certain age.
"I've always been like that, even with how I choose to dress, never following or conforming to whatever the fashion of that particular year is supposed to be. I've always found my own style, which is an expression of me and who I am. In a sense, I've also applied that to how I live day to day and to aging."
