‘For a really long time, you almost push it away’: Why Tessa James was ‘lost’ after cancer battle

Tessa James has reflected on her 2015 cancer diagnosis – and why the former Home And Away star struggled with her self-identity in the wake of her illness.

Former Home And Away star Tessa James has reflected on her 2015 cancer diagnosis – and why she struggled with her self-identity in the wake of her illness.

“Initially when I was diagnosed and going through chemotherapy – it’s an extremely

traumatic time – you have so many people saying, ‘You will be grateful for this. You will

be a better person for this,’” James told the Stellar podcast, Something To Talk About.

“I felt a lot of pressure, thinking: I have to come out of this a better person, I have to achieve this after.

“When I finished I was a bit lost. I didn’t know where that was supposed to show up, and I was almost disappointed. I was like, I’m grateful to be here, but why do I not feel like I’m achieving more?”

Listen to the full interview with Tessa James on Something To Talk About:

Picture: Steven Chee for Stellar

Tessa James, in her Stellar cover shoot. Picture: Steven Chee for Stellar

The 33-year-old- who is married to former NRL star Nate Myles with whom she has four children – said it was since she became a mother that she can “see what the experience” of having cancer had taught her.

“Only now since I’ve had my kids and [am] really settling into my life, I can see what that experience taught me,” she told Something To Talk About.

“It’s what makes me ‘me’. For a really long time, you almost push it away. You just want to put it behind you and get rid of it.”

Speaking to Stellar, James also opened up about her 15-year marriage to Myles – and her family life in Melbourne, where the couple is based.

“I said to him the other day, I wish we could get married now because I feel like I really

know you. I didn’t know you then and you didn’t know me. It was just pure love.

‘I can see what the experience taught me.’ Tessa James. Picture: Julie Kiriacoudis

Nate Myles and Tessa James, pictured together in 2016. Picture: Instagram

Listen to the full interview with Tessa James on Something To Talk About:

“We have four kids: seven, four, three, and almost one. He’s my ride or die. We have a very fluid life. He goes away a lot. I travel a lot.

“To have that amount of children, I think you really have to have each other’s back.”

James – who shot to fame on Home And Away and Neighbours – also revealed she is open to returning to acting, despite her new career in interior design.

“It’s something I’ll love forever. It’s ingrained in me. It’s a huge part of my life and it has

given me and continues to give me so much, through the people that I have met and the

things that I’ve been able to experience,” James told Stellar.

“Never say never. I’m sure if and when it’s ready, it might come back into my life, but I don’t have any pressure around it at all like I used to.”

Tessa James is an ambassador for the Witchery White Shirt Campaign, which raises funds for the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation.

Listen to the full interview with Tessa on Something to Talk About – and see the full shoot in Stellar today, inside The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herlad Sun (VIC), The Sunday Mail (QLD) and Sunday Mail (SA).

For more from Stellar, click here.

Originally published as ‘For a really long time, you almost push it away’: Why Tessa James was ‘lost’ after cancer battle