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EastEnders star Shane Richie was \u2018a mess\u2019 as he prepared for his character Alfie Moon\u2019s prostate cancer storyline.<\/p>\n
The BBC soap was recently praised for how it treated beloved character Lola\u2019s brain tumour diagnosis and heartbreaking death, and are now preparing to tackle Alfie\u2019s journey with prostate cancer.<\/p>\n
Actor Shane appeared on Wednesday\u2019s The One Show where he noted EastEnders \u2018has a history\u2019 of highlighting important medical stories, and that this one was \u2018so important to tell.\u2019<\/p>\n
He revealed he spent an afternoon with prostate cancer patient Jonathan Hall, who was diagnosed with the disease three years ago, and who had earlier shared his own story on the programme.<\/p>\n
Reflecting on his day with Jonathan, Shane admitted: \u2018At the end of it, I was a mess.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018I remember coming out of it going, \u201cOh, this is such an important story to tell.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2018And the fact they gave that particular story to a character like Alfie Moon, as people are familiar with Alfie over 21 years, maybe doing it with another character wouldn\u2019t have had the same impact.\u2019<\/p>\n
Jonathan is one of a number of patients and charities who work with EastEnders to ensure the soap tackles difficult subjects sensitively and correctly.<\/p>\n
He underwent surgery to remove his prostate to fight the cancer, revealing he knew a man who did not want to go through the same operation as he would \u2018have to wear a stoma bag.\u2019<\/p>\n
Becoming emotional during the interview, Jonathan said his friend had died after choosing not to undergo surgery.<\/p>\n
He himself is \u2018on the road to recovery\u2019 from the disease, with his cancer no longer detectable.<\/p>\n
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EastEnders\u2019 Alfie was recently rocked when a trip to the hospital revealed that\u00a0he may be suffering from prostate cancer, with doctors sending him for further tests.<\/p>\n
Having received his results, he told\u00a0Kat Slater\u00a0(Jessie Wallace) and\u00a0Phil Mitchell\u00a0(Steve McFadden) that he had\u00a0been given the all clear\u00a0\u2013 though it will transpire that he was lying during a confrontation with Phil.<\/p>\n
In upcoming episodes, Alfie is set to undergo a prostatectomy, with\u00a0Linda Carter\u00a0(Kellie Bright) heading to the hospital to offer her support.<\/p>\n
It was recently reported Alfie is confirmed to exit the Square for a while while undergoing treatment in the show.<\/p>\n