"I wrote down everything I wanted to do when I was better." The list that helped Tessa James through cancer treatment.

Image: Getty.

When Tessa James was in the midst of treatment for Hodgkin Lymphoma, she compiled a “long list” of everything she wanted to do when she was better. Now, eight months after her final round of chemotherapy, the actress is busily achieving those dreams.

“I had six months of thinking about what I wanted to do and how I wanted to change how I’d been before. I’m a different person inside and outside now. I feel like I’ve got a whole lot more to give,” the 24-year-old says in the latest issue of Sunday Style. 

Her interview is accompanied by a gorgeous fashion shoot, one of the many goals she’s been hoping to achieve. “Today, I’ve done that [fashion shoot]. It seems like a good day to be able to tick it off my list.”

Another dream James has been able to check off is a film role. She stars in the upcoming Australian film Spin Out, alongside her former Home and Away co-star Lincoln Lewis.

"It was a tiny role, but it was on my list to do a film, so I ticked that off," she says, adding that being immersed in the filming environment was hugely inspiring.

"I was on set every day, even if I wasn't needed, and just watched. I just wanted to be around creative people. It got my fire going again, which I needed. It's exciting."

It's been one year since James began the gruelling treatment for her cancer, undergoing 12 rounds of chemotherapy every fortnight for six months. A poignant moment during that time was when James shaved off her long, blonde hair — and the way she describes that day sums up her remarkable spirit and positive outlook.

“Don’t get me wrong, it was confronting and scary and, of course, I had a moment where I cried because I didn’t have any hair, but then I thought, ‘What can you do about it?’" she recalls to Sunday Style. (Post continues after gallery.)

"I actually really enjoyed being bald. I had nowhere to hide. I could just be myself. Some people have a bad day because their hair doesn’t look good. For once, I didn’t have to think about it. It made things easy.”

In solidarity, James' husband of four years, Gold Coast Titans player Nate Myles, also shaved his head. It's just one example of the support that helped James through one of the most challenging times in her life.

“When you say your vows, you know you’ll have hard times, because that’s life,” she says. “But you don’t say the words [‘in sickness and in health’] thinking anything is going to happen," she remarks.

When James was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma, a rare blood cancer that affects the lymphatic system, she was living in Los Angeles to pursue her Hollywood ambitions. She had been feeling "pushed" and had complained of fatigue and various aches and pains over the phone to Myles, who was based in Australia.

When she found a lump on her collarbone, James consulted a doctor, who confirmed the suspicion she'd tried to brush aside.

“I definitely had a gut feeling it was cancer, and all of the tests and tiptoeing around were just precautions. But then I’d think, it can’t be. My dad was sick [with cancer] — it can’t happen to me. That would just be cruel," she explains.

“I was in the car with my mum and a girlfriend when the doctor called. I knew what he was going to say. I was extremely upset. I went into planning mode... I knew I was going to be fine, but how was I going to get on top of it?”

Now she's in remission, James is slowly working towards her ambition to be a working actress in the US. She and Myles, who have relocated to Sydney from their home on the Gold Coast, have purchased an apartment in LA to serve as a base for her auditions. (Post continues after gallery.)

“Basically, I have to start again, but I’m trying not to look at that as a bad thing. I look completely different. The roles I get to go for are different, so it’s kind of a whole new world," she says.

Trips back to Los Angeles have helped her regain her independence, which had been affected by her illness and treatment. "It was really good for my confidence to go back to LA; I have no association with being sick there. I’ve been doing classes in dance, singing and acting, so I’m getting back to doing what I love.”

James also admits that while she wants to be a parent one day — and doctors have told her that it should be possible — it's not her main priority at this stage. “I have a lot of things I want to do first, but, of course, it’s on the list," she says.

We can't wait to see where her drive and talent takes her next.

How do you pull through hard experiences in your life?