Sofie Grahol kept cancer struggle under wraps

Actress Sofie Grabol, best known for playing Sarah Lund in "The Killing", says she felt like she'd "died" when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

The 56-year-old, who was diagnosed with the disease in December 2012 but decided not to go public with her condition until she had received treatment, says it was "challenging" for her to maintain the facade of a normal life with her children Bror, 13, and Gudrun, 10, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

In an interview with Britain's Marie Claire magazine, Grabol said: "I chose not to go public, which sounds like, 'Oh well, she didn't call the paper' but it was actually very challenging."

"I did everything as normal - took my kids to school, went to the supermarket - but I wore a wig," Sofie said.

"I had this strange theatre going on, where I would get up in the morning and paint a face like the one I used to have. But I really felt it wasn't me any more, I felt like I'd died somehow."

During her recovery, Grabol was cast in the drama series "Fortitude" at a time when she felt like a "freak" because she had lost her hair and she says the show helped her to be less nervous.