Emmerdale’s Eden Taylor-Draper has shared details of her sister’s courageous cancer fight and the moment she learnt of it.
The actress, who plays Belle Dingle on the ITV soap, has spoken candidly about how her younger sister Francesca’s battle with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia at 14 years old in 2020 brought their family closer. Eden cleared her schedule for a month to enable her to spend quality time with her sister, a period that the actress described as drawing the family closer than ever before.
The 26-year-old actress recalled the gut-wrenching moment she received the news about her sister’s acute lymphoblastic leukaemia while filming on set. This led her to making weekly hospital visits to support her beloved sibling in her darkest days.
Following her harrowing experience, Eden passionately channeled her energy into contributing to the Teenage Cancer Trust, performing in a charity film during its emergency appeal. Francesca’s diagnosis wasn’t only physically harrowing, it also brought emotional turmoil for the whole family.
During this period, Isabel Hodgins, who plays Victoria Sugden on the show, stood by Eden, offering her reassurance. Talking to The Mirror, Eden shared: “I was with Issy Hodgins, who plays Victoria when I got the call, and she just held me for ages.”
Speaking to Metro, Eden revealed how her close friends and family rallied around each other during the time. She said: “It’s so hard when something like that happens to a family. We’re very lucky and came together and supported each other.
