At a Glance
- Marisa Abela was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at age 23
- The 29-year-old Industry star says her metabolism is now “a lot more difficult” to manage
- Abela hoped cancer would make her “a saint” but admits she’s “still slightly vain”
- Why it matters: Her story highlights how illness can reshape body image long after treatment ends
Marisa Abela is peeling back the curtain on how thyroid cancer rewired her relationship with her body, revealing that the disease left her working harder than ever to stay fit while still wrestling with vanity.
The actress, now 29, told the How To Fail with Elizabeth Day podcast that the 2020 diagnosis forced her to rethink priorities yet failed to erase insecurities. “Not that I have a particularly terrible relationship with my body or anything, but I’m hard on myself, especially as an actor I have to see myself all the time,” she explained during the Jan. 14 episode.
Diagnosis at 23
A routine checkup turned life-altering when a doctor spotted a lump on Abela’s neck while she complained of unusual fatigue. Tests confirmed thyroid cancer, setting off an eight-hour surgery to remove the tumor followed by radioactive iodine treatment.
“I’m all in the clear now, thank God,” she told The Times in a Jan. 3 interview, adding that she still attends regular scans and will take replacement hormones for life. “I don’t have a working thyroid so these pills sort of create one. I’m never going to miss those appointments.”
The Body Aftermath
Abela thought surviving cancer would spark instant gratitude. Instead, she found herself battling a slower metabolism and lingering self-criticism.
Key changes she described:
- Metabolism dropped, making weight management tougher
- Shifted focus from “skinny choices” to “healthy choices”
- Still catches herself obsessing over appearance
- Works harder now to maintain a “healthy physique”
“My number one thing now is that I’m healthy and when I think about food it’s about healthy choices, not just skinny choices for once,” she said. “But it hasn’t quite done enough in the sense that of course I’m still slightly vain and I want to look good.”
Expectation vs. Reality
The actress entered treatment believing she would emerge transformed. “You want to be a sort of perfect person afterwards and it’s so stupid, you know, as if!” she laughed.
She imagined becoming:
- A serene “saint”
- Unshakably wise
- Instantly grateful for every scar
Reality proved messier. “Maybe I didn’t have a slightly closer brush with mortality,” she mused, noting that fears about employability and visible scars crept in. “I was thinking about, ‘Will I be able to be an actor, will I be able to speak, will anyone employ me with a big scar on my neck?’ You have all these vanity things.”
Life on Replacement Hormones
Without a functioning thyroid, Abela relies on daily medication to regulate metabolism, energy, and mood. She calls the pills her “created” thyroid and credits them with keeping her stable, yet acknowledges the regimen adds pressure to stay disciplined with diet and exercise.
The star also keeps every follow-up appointment, aware that remission requires lifelong vigilance.
Still in the Spotlight
Balancing recovery with a high-profile role on HBO’s Industry intensified the scrutiny. Cameras capture every angle, reinforcing the industry’s narrow beauty standards even as she champions health over thinness.
Abela stressed that her story isn’t one of total transformation but of ongoing negotiation: striving to honor her body’s resilience while accepting that vanity lingers. “It’s a difficult one,” she admitted, “because the thyroid is one of the hormones you need for your metabolism to be working.”
Key Takeaways
- Thyroid cancer at 23 reshaped Abela’s health priorities yet left body-image struggles intact
- Daily hormone replacement and slower metabolism now demand extra fitness effort
- The actress rejects the pressure to become a “perfect” survivor, choosing honesty over halo
