Alea O’Shea was diagnosed with brain cancer in November 2025.

Alea O’Shea has revealed how her cancer treatment has sent her into early menopause. Source: Instagram/@alea_osheaa

A former Home and Away star has revealed how chemotherapy sent her into an early menopause at just 25 years old.

Alea O’Shea, who played Darcy Callahan on the popular Channel 7 show, first noticed something was wrong with her after noticing her smile was uneven and she had difficulty speaking.

That eventually led to her getting diagnosed with brain cancer.

She’s now been through six weeks of radiation and oral chemotherapy, but said she didn’t experience any “bad side effects” such as significant hair loss.

Alea also had surgery to remove as much of the brain tumour as possible.

While that would be harrowing for anyone, she opened up about the procedure she had before that caused big changes in her body.

Doctors removed an ovary ahead of her radiation and chemo, which forced her to develop early menopause.

“I got a few hot flushes, but having seen my mum go through menopause, I think I escaped pretty well,” she told Body and Soul.

According to Healthline, the typical age a woman develops early menopause is 40 to 45.

Alea didn’t state exactly why she had her ovary removed, however, it is not uncommon for young women to take measures to protect their eggs and ovaries so that they can have a family later in life.

“The pain [from the ovary surgery] was intense, but because they took my whole ovary, I’ll have eggs in case I want to do IVF in the future, which is great,” she said.

Alea finished up her treatment in February and is now undertaking rehab, as she has dulled mobility on one side of her body. She’s also having regular scans to track the cancer.

Alea said has shared her journey online, including how her body has changed and how she’s still acting. Source: Instagram/@alea_osheaa

How Alea found out she had brain cancer

Speaking to Sunrise, the 25-year-old said she was thrown into treatment almost immediately after getting the diagnosis.

“I feel like now I’m in that stage of it all kind of hitting, and I just let myself feel how I need to feel,” she said.

“I used to really chase the positivity, that every day has to be good.”

However, she said she knows now she may not ever fully process some of what she has been through.

“Being a young person with a cancer diagnosis, it’s not common, and it’s not easy, but I think just allowing myself to feel how I need to feel, and just trying to find the joy in every single day, but not pushing it or forcing it,” she said.

Alea revealed in a social media post in November that she underwent a biopsy on her birthday and had been in “limbo” waiting for the results.

Alea has started an organisation for other young women to get wigs. Source: Instagram/@becauseiceare

“My smile was a little uneven and it felt harder to talk and get my words out,” she said at the time. “I had a few migraines but nothing scary.”

While she was on a trip in Los Angeles, she lost feeling in two of her fingers, which then spread to other parts of her body.

She speculated at the time that all she had was a pinched nerve.Alea saw her physiotherapist, who quickly realised something more serious was at play and sent her for a brain scan.

“If there’s one thing to take away from this is to advocate for yourself when something feels slightly off,” she said.

In Australia, there were an estimated 2,098 new cases of brain cancer diagnosed in 2025. There were also 1,639 deaths from the aggressive cancer type last year, according to Cancer Australia.

An estimated 24 per cent of patients survive past the five-year mark.