Vicky Myers – who plays DS Swain in Coronation Street – was diagnosed with skin cancer after a doctor spotted a dark mark on her leg

Vicky Myers has been a fan favourite since joining Coronation Street.

DS Swain – played by Vicky – has quite a storyline unfolding on the cobbles as Lisa and Carla Connor have recently expressed their feelings for one another. While initially just friends, it wasn’t long before the pair acknowledged their deeper feelings.

However, Vicky’s own life has seen more dramatic turns than her soap character could imagine, as she had to fight a significant health battle. Recalling an incidental discovery of her cancer, she shared with The Mirror: “I don’t know if it’s my previous medical history, but I am so proud to be here and just to be living each day to the full.

Vicky Myers plays DS Swain (Image: ITV)

“When my husband and I split up, I was quite down, bitter and vengeful, and when I was told I had [cancer], I remember thinking, ‘If this is it for me, I’ve missed out on all this time with my daughter and I haven’t really been the best person that I wanted to be.'”

She added: “The diagnosis re-centred me and made me focus on what is really important and what makes me happy. Now, every time I go into work and see the Coronation Street sign, it’s quite overwhelming.”

It was a chance encounter that led to Vicky’s cancer discovery due to her fashion choice on a particular summer day.

Things are heating up between Lisa and Carla

“My nephew has a heart condition. As we turned to leave, the doctor said, ‘Can I have a look at that mark on your leg? ‘ Within five days I was in hospital. I was wearing three-quarter length combat trousers that day,” she recounted, reports Lancs Live.

“You can roll them up into shorts, which I did in the car just before the appointment, because it was a really hot June day. It’s quite incredible to think that if it had been a miserable day the doctor would never have seen the little dark mark on my calf. I definitely had an angel watching over me that day.”

Vicky stayed at the surgery so the practice manager could examine her leg, before she attended the hospital a few days later. Following a biopsy, it was confirmed as malignant melanoma but had not spread. Fortunately, Vicky is now free from cancer.

Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX.