Leah Bracknell has been living with incurable lung cancer since discovering her illness three years ago.
The star, who played Zoe Tate in Emmerdale from 1989 until 2006, opened up about how she’s living with the disease on Instagram.
Leah uploaded a picture of her eyes and said she considers her cancer to be her own “superpower”.
She said: “So I was just thinking, if Greta Thunberg and Chris Packham consider their Aspergers and autism to be their superpower, to help them see and think outside the box, I’m just wondering if cancer could be MY superpower…
“I know, what a mad crazy idea, but why the hell not??”
She continued: “#CancerRebel ‘I embrace every opportunity that cancer gives me to learn, to grow, to expand.’ And to FLY!
“#changingperspectives #thinkingoutsidethebox #harnessyoursuperpower.”
Some of Leah’s 1,480 followers commented on the post, praising Leah’s positive outlook.
One person commented: “Super power it is.. what a beautiful perspective shift.”
Another said: “Super Leah.. What doesn’t kill you makes you super human xx.”
A third added: “100%! Go fly!!”
Last week, Leah shared several pictures of herself joining in on the climate change demonstrations in London.
Next to a picture of herself lying down, Leah explained what the movement, Extinction Rebellion, wanted from the protests.
She wrote: “Extinction Rebellion want the government to: 1.Tell the truth about climate change 2. Act to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2025.
“3. Install a citizens assembly to oversee the changes. I want my children and my children’s children, and all life to enjoy and thrive on this beautiful planet we call home. I want to know there will be a future for them.”
She added: “There’s no planet B and no magic wand. So I’m lying down to stand up and be counted. #rebelforlife #extinctionrebellion.”
Meanwhile, Leah has been vocal about her health battle via her blog, Something Beginning With C.
In one of her posts, titled Take Me Back To Normal, Leah admitted she wants to wake up from the “nightmare”.
She wrote: “Sometimes it feels like you are trapped in a cage. If only you could find the door and step out to freedom and life as it was before.”
She continued: “If only you could wake from the nightmare: dawn breaks and you realise that it was all just a bad dream. And life is wonderfully normal again.”
“Yes, if only,” she added.