EastEnders’ beloved Cheryl Fergison, best known for her role as the endearing Heather Trott, has shared a fresh health update following a severe stroke in May.

The 60 year old actress took to Instagram to share her progress, revealing she can now walk a ‘certain amount before’ becoming ‘puffed out’, and shared a heartwarming tale about a chance encounter at her local shop.

Cheryl shared: “Well I just had to come on and tell you something that has planted a seed in my little brain. And hopefully it plants the seed in somebody in our industry – producers, tv people etc. So the story goes like this: after the stroke, I can now walk with a stick, which is brilliant. I can walk a certain distance before I get puffed out.

She continued, explaining that she visited her local Premier shop for some exercise when she met a woman who confessed she’d read her book.

Cheryl recounted: “This lady was in there. Probably about my age, I dunno, maybe 50’s to 60’s, something like that. Anyways, she said Oh My Gosh I’ve just read your book. And I went ‘oh have you? How did you find it?’ She said you’ve had a life haven’t you? And I said yeah a little bit.”, reports the Mirror.

The soap legend then revealed how the woman suggested she should turn her life story into a series or a film, to which Cheryl responded: “Let’s make this happen, it would be absolutely fantastic. Anyway, it was just a thought from a lovely lady in my local shop.”

The incident occurred after she had a stroke earlier this year, which was preceded by a headache.

In an exclusive interview with the Mirror last month, ahead of the release of her explosive new memoir, Behind The Scenes, the mother of one detailed how she was at home watching television when she first noticed something was amiss.

She recalled: “I started to feel funny, with a really bad headache at the back of my head. I went to bed but couldn’t settle. When I got up in the night to go to the bathroom, my balance completely went and I had to stop myself from falling over. My whole right side felt numb, heavy and tingly.”

Concerned about her condition, Cheryl immediately contacted her son Alex. “He worked with elderly people and recognised the symptoms. He phoned an ambulance straight away.”

Doctors in Blackpool quickly took Cheryl, who underwent womb cancer surgery in 2015, to hospital and confirmed she had suffered a stroke. The illness left her unable to walk and she still relies on a stick for mobility.

“I have had to retrain my brain. I couldn’t even pick up a penny at first,” Cheryl shared.

“You lose the ability to coordinate your hands, to walk properly, your balance is gone. It’s frustrating and makes you angry. But I’ve started to recover; I am coming on in leaps and bounds now.”