A member of the Frasier cast revealed that she feared she would be fired after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
Kelsey Grammer reprised his role as the iconic psychiatrist in the Paramount+ revival last year, with the second season currently airing.
Despite some very familiar faces making cameos, the 69-year-old was joined by a mostly new cast, including Nicholas Lyndhurst, Jack Cutmore-Scott and Anders Keith, who plays his nephew, David.
The line-up secretly faced some heartache behind the scenes when Toks Olagundoye confirmed her health issues, and underwent a double mastectomy shortly into filming.
During an appearance on the Kelly Clarkson show, the Olivia Finch actress opened up about her battles with Stage 0, triple negative breast cancer at the age of 46, sharing that she thought that she would lose her job as a result.
Speaking to the host, the 49-year-old explained that she got herself checked out at the insistence of her gynecologist, while breastfeeding her son.
‘I had three surgeries and then I did chemo. When I was doing the chemo, I was only doing voiceover work,’ she said. ‘Then, two weeks after the chemo, I started Frasier – during that, I had a double mastectomy.
‘I’ve never had a TV family quite like the Frasier cast, they’re really amazing human beings. To be around them was really nice.
‘Originally, I was supposed to get my double mastectomy after we filmed. My surgeon called me and said, “I have a feeling we have to do it sooner.”
‘I went to my showrunners and said, listen, if you have to fire me, I’ve only been on three episodes so far, make me a guest star or whatever.’
Although they reassured her and offered their full support, Toks still expected to be told the opposite by bosses and was prepared to walk away from the role.
‘I see Kelsey’s calling [later], and I was like, yep, this is it, getting fired, right this second,’ she continued. ‘He was very emotional, he didn’t realize what I was going through.
‘He said, “I know how actors think, I want to let you know this is your family, you’re not getting fired, we’re going to do whatever we need to do to make you feel comfortable.”
‘I remember him so vividly saying, “You’re going to be so happy after this. Everything is going to be okay.”’
Not only did Kelsey reach out privately, the Cheers legend also recorded a special message for Toks after being told she would be appearing on the Kelly Clarkson Show – a gesture that moved his colleague to tears.
‘I’m really proud of you for being on this show and I salute your efforts to raise awareness and money for breast cancer,’ he said in the clip. ‘We’ve always loved you and loved being with you when you were going through your stint.
‘Congratulations on coming out the other side. I’m deeply, personally grateful that you did.’
Toks was visibly emotional over Kelsey’s kind words, but quickly composed herself as Kelly ended the segment.
Breast cancer symptoms
You should see a GP if you notice any of the following:
- a new lump or area of thickened tissue in either breast that was not there before
- a change in the size or shape of one or both breasts
- a discharge of fluid from either of your nipples
- a lump or swelling in either of your armpits
- a change in the look or feel of your skin, such as puckering or dimpling, a rash or redness
- a rash (like eczema), crusting, scaly or itchy skin or redness on or around your nipple
- a change in the appearance of your nipple, such as becoming sunken into your breast
Previously speaking to Elle Magazine, she used her health struggles to urge others to regularly get checked for ‘anything’.
‘I’ve always had colonoscopies and mammograms early because there’s a lot of cancer in my family,’ she said. ‘It had been about three years since my last exam; I obviously didn’t get [a mammogram] while pregnant.
‘I originally wasn’t going to get one because I was still breastfeeding. Thank goodness I did, because I had triple-negative breast cancer, a very aggressive form.
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‘I want to encourage people to get checked as early as possible, and not just for breast cancer, but for anything that they can get checked for.’