EastEnders viewers were in tears on last night’s episode (Monday, December 6) after Stuart Highway (Ricky Champ) received the devastating news that he has male breast cancer.
Last week, Stuart visited the doctor after a mysterious rash appeared on his chest. The doctor noticed a lump and referred him for a biopsy where he was officially diagnosed with male breast cancer, leaving him speechless.
Over the next few months, this important story will see Stuart facing challenges as he struggles with his diagnosis and opens up to his wife, Rainie (Tanya Franks).
Breast cancer in men is rare with only 370 new cases in the UK each year, compared to around 55,000 new cases in women. In addition, around 1% of breast cancer cases in the UK are in men.
Earlier in the episode, as Stuart anxiously awaited the results, he was determined to hide his concerns from the residents. He was delighted to learn that Rocky Cant (Brian Conley) had returned from the hospital after his heart attack and that Keegan Baker (Zack Morris) would be discharged from the hospital after being brutally attacked.
“Everyone’s fine, aren’t they, eh?” Stuart yelled, shortly before walking through the market with Rocky’s heavy bag and saying he was as “in shape as a butcher’s dog.”
But, soon his worst fear came true and he learned the shocking news that he had male breast cancer.
EastEnders worked closely with Macmillan Cancer Support on this scenario to ensure that Stuart’s cancer ordeal is as realistic as possible.
Ricky Champ spoke about his powerful screenplay, saying, “I feel honored to be entrusted with such an important screenplay. We’ll see Stuart struggle with the fact that he has cancer, and learning that it is breast cancer is really hard for him to understand. Hopefully, as we shed some light on breast cancer in men, more men will be aware of it and seek medical attention if they notice anything wrong.
Emotional fans took to Twitter to express their grief for Stuart after he was diagnosed …
Stuart having cancer is so heartbreaking, but it’s good to see #EastEnders raising awareness for male breast cancer 🎗December 6, 2021
You can see the fear in Stuart’s eyes. 😢 #EastEndersDecember 6, 2021
#EastEnders @ RickyChamp1 aww I just wanted to jump on the TV and kiss Stuart 😢December 6, 2021
Stuart has cancer 😥😥 #EastEnders @ RickyChamp1 Hope is becoming clear in the long run I’m sure Ricky will play this story really well. Good for raising awareness of male breast cancerDecember 6, 2021
Oh my God, Stuart has cancer 💔ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ # NeighborhoodWatts #EastEndersDecember 6, 2021
Stuart breaks my heart. He really didn’t want to believe it. #EastEndersDecember 6, 2021
EastEnders aired tonight at 7:30 p.m. on BBC1 – see our TV guide for full listings.