Marisa Abela Diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer. How Her Health Is Now

Marisa Abela is opening up about a major health scare she faced early in her career.

The actress, now 29, revealed that she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at age 23 after a doctor discovered a lump on her neck while she was experiencing unusual fatigue, she said in an interview with U.K. newspaper The Times published on Saturday, Jan. 3.

Abela — best known for starring in HBO’s Industry — underwent 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 outlet, adding that she still attends regular medical checkups and will remain on medication for the rest of her life.

“I don’t have a working thyroid so these pills sort of create one,” Abela explained. “I’m never going to miss those appointments.”

She noted that the thyroid plays a critical role in regulating hormones, which she emphasized is especially important to monitor. “The thyroid is all to do with your hormones, and staying on top of your hormones, as a woman, to make sure things are running as they should, is important,” she said.

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Abela was diagnosed in 2020, the same year Industry premiered, and as her career began to take off. The series — now heading into its fourth season, which premieres on Sunday, Jan. 11 on HBO — follows a group of young bankers navigating ambition, excess, and power inside a fictional London investment firm. Abela plays Yasmin Kara-Hanani, a role that earned her a BAFTA for leading actress in 2025.

“It’s not Downton Abbey,” she joked of the show, “I never get bored of the show. It’s not afraid to do things that might upset the audience.”

Since Industry, Abela’s career has expanded rapidly. She starred as Amy Winehouse in the 2024 biopic Back to Black and has appeared alongside Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender in the thriller Black Bag. She is currently training for the upcoming action film Highlander with Russell Crowe and Henry Cavill.

Abela also celebrated a major personal milestone last year when she married fellow actor Jamie Bogyo in September. The two met while studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and got engaged in 2024 after Bogyo proposed on Primrose Hill in London.

“I wasn’t expecting it,” Abela told The Times, recalling the proposal. “I knew it was coming but we were in Paris a few weeks before and I was sure he was going to propose then.”

Instead, the moment came later — and with a twist. After Bogyo left a dinner early claiming to be sick, Abela said she returned to the hotel expecting a romantic setup. “I got back later, expecting roses and champagne to be everywhere, and instead found Jamie in a ball on the floor being sick. I had to play off my disappointment really quickly!”

The couple ultimately tied the knot in East Sussex, with an evening reception held at Soho House Brighton. Among those at the wedding were many of Abela’s Industry costars, including Myha’la Herrold, who plays Harper on the HBO series and served as one of her bridesmaids.

The celebration, Abela said, was “amazing and a big party.” She added that it was “very booze-focused.”

Bogyo, she noted, has been a constant source of support throughout her career. “He reads everything I get sent, I read everything he writes and we’re a team,” Abela told the outlet. “He has always been my biggest supporter and my biggest fan.”

Despite the intensity of her health diagnosis and treatment, Abela said she feels grateful for where she is today and is excited for what’s to come. “2026 is looking very exciting,” she said.