Casualty's ovarian cancer story: The Power of Storytelling in Raising Awareness
Stevie Nash in BBC's Casualty. Credit: BBC Studios.
How real stories, expert advice and honest acting brought this storyline to life
A recent storyline on BBC Casualty has taken a bold and important turn, focusing on ovarian cancer, a disease that often goes undetected until it's advanced.
Viewers have been following Dr Stevie Nash (played by Elinor Lawless) as she navigates the shock of diagnosis and the emotional rollercoaster that follows.
This isn’t just TV drama, it’s an opportunity to talk about a cancer that affects over 7,000 people in the UK every year, and is still too often misunderstood or diagnosed late.
That’s why we were proud to be part of the team helping make sure Stevie’s journey was portrayed with accuracy, empathy and impact.
Behind the scenes of how Casualty got it right
When Casualty’s producers decided to write in an ovarian cancer storyline, they reached out to us at Ovarian Cancer Action for support. We worked directly with the scriptwriters to help shape the arc in a way that felt authentic and true to life, not just clinically, but emotionally too.
We also brought in members of our Patient Research Network (people with lived experience of ovarian cancer) to share what it’s really like to be diagnosed, to go through treatment, to feel uncertainty and fear, but also strength and clarity.
Their insights helped ground the storyline in reality. So when viewers watch Stevie process her diagnosis, or make tough decisions about her future, they're seeing something rooted in real experiences.
Shalisha James-Davis' ovarian cancer story
But this isn’t just fiction. Off-screen, one of Casualty’s own actors, Shalisha James-Davis, has also shared her deeply personal ovarian cancer journey, adding another layer of meaning to this storyline and why it matters.
Casualty actress Shalisha James-Davis, known for playing nurse Paige Allcott, has recently spoken out about her own experience with ovarian cancer.
Shalisha was diagnosed with mucinous ovarian cancer, a rare type that can be especially difficult to detect. Like many women with gynaecological symptoms, she struggled to be taken seriously by doctors, often being told she was too young to be at risk. By the time she was wheeled into real-life surgery in 2022, the irony of playing a medical professional on screen wasn’t lost on her.
I didn’t know what I was meant to feel… there was no toolbox, I had no one to talk to about how I was meant to feel - so I just felt angry. Angry with myself for maybe not pushing more. Angry with the NHS for taking one look at me and dismissing me because of my age, my demographic.”
Photo credit: Shalisha James-Davis
Why this work matters
When TV handles these stories with care, it can change lives. It gets people asking questions. It makes them look up symptoms, talk to their families, push for answers.
We’re proud to have worked with Casualty to help shape this storyline and we’re incredibly grateful to members of our Patient Research Network who shared their truths so this story could be told with honesty and care.
If Shalisha’s story or Stevie’s made something click for you, trust that feeling. Learn the signs. Know your risk. And don’t be afraid to push for answers.
