Jimmy Carr made an impassioned plea to Janey Godley before her tragic death.
The Scots comedian has left her legion of loyal fans bereft after it was confirmed today that she had lost her battler with cancer. The 63-year-old was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in November 2021, but later returned to touring and, as reported by the Mirror, fellow comic, Jimmy, 52, encouraged her to continue performing despite her diagnosis.
In a March 2024 episode of ITV’s Lorraine, Janey said: “The year before last, before I got into the tour, I was told that the cancer had come back. So, I decided to cancel the tour, and my mate Jimmy Carr said: ‘Is your mouth not working?’ I went: ‘Yeah, my mouth works’ and he said: ‘Well get back on tour.’
“And I thought, he’s right. What am I going to do? Sit in the house and draw wee cats?” She added: “I have so much on that I keep forgetting that I have a terminal diagnosis.”
Janey, who found viral fame with her dubbed videos of Nicola Sturgeon’s Covid briefings during the pandemic, revealed she had been given the all-clear in 2022, with “no evidence of disease”. A subsequent scan, however, showed signs of cancer in her abdomen. She was determined to press on with her tour scheduled for February and March 2023, despite this setback.
In September she sadly announced she was too ill to perform and had been taken into palliative care. The late star had been due to embark on the Why Is She Still Here? tour, which included dates across UK cities including London, Belfast and Edinburgh, before doctors advised her that she should stop working “for the foreseeable future”.
Taking to social media from her hospital bed, telling her fans how sorry she was, Janey explained she had been in hospital for eight days with sepsis. She said the sepsis was under control, but her cancer was spreading, so her doctors had advised her to focus on recovery.
Apologising to fans, she said: “I know people booked hotels and trains and everything – I’m so, so sorry. If I could go in my hospital bed I would. But I’m going to be in hospital for another couple of days. Thank you so much for all your love and support.”
Breaking the news of her heartbreaking death today, Janey’s daughter Ashley Storrie shared on her X, formerly Twitter, account: “Earlier this morning, Janey passed away in her sleep. Her family were with her. The love and support from all her friends and fans during this cancer journey brought her enormous joy. It has also been a huge comfort to us, her family and close friends, thank you.”
Paying tribute to her beloved mum as fans flocked to send their condolences, Ashely Storrie, posted: “My mum, Janey Godley, died this morning about seven. She was with friends and family and I wanted to tell you face-to-face because it felt very much what she would have wanted.
“She went peacefully. And I want to say a big thank you to all the staff at the Prince and Princess of Wales hospice. And a big thank you to mum’s family, who were around her throughout these last horrible days.”
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