Janey Godley said she "looked seven months pregnant" as she bravely opened up on her first symptoms of ovarian cancer before her diagnosis.
The 63-year-old has died following a courageous battle with cancer, her manager has confirmed. The much-loved comedian spent the last few weeks in a hospice surrounded by her loved ones and today it was announced she had sadly passed away.
In a statement, Chris Davis Management said she would be “hugely missed by her family, friends and her many fans”. The comedian revealed she had ovarian cancer in November 2021 after noticing worrying symptoms while on tour.
Speaking to The Shift with Sam Baker podcast the following June, Janey said she felt "tired all the time" before a doctor confirmed the heartbreaking diagnosis.
She said: "I thought, it's normal because I'd just come through the lockdowns and I had been through quite a lot emotionally, so maybe I'm just tired.
"And then when I got to Glasgow, I remember standing in a hotel room and lifting my jumper up and my tummy looked like I was seven months pregnant, but I wasn't eating much and I didn't understand why I was so big.
"Every time I went to eat I felt full and I just couldn't get any food down me. I was living on something like 600 calories a day, I was having to just eat soup because that's the only thing I could get down, and I thought 'this isn't right'."
Janey then went for a doctor's appointment who told her 'there's something in there' after feeling her stomach before ordering blood tests. The next day, the doctor confirmed that there was "probably a presence of cancer" based on the results.
Despite the worrying news, Janey continued with her show, performing a gig in Perth. However, she said the next day she had to go to hospital with "terrible pains" before being diagnosed with ovarian cancer and coronavirus.
She said: "My husband and daughter both had covid as well, we all had covid. They were dying, and I was absolutely fine. I'm walking about the house crying going 'I've got cancer' and they're like 'can I get a wee chopped egg in a cup, I'm really ill'."
After undergoing a hysterectomy, she also underwent chemotherapy, and during that time she shared a poignant image of her husband shaving off her long curly locks before 'chemo took it from her'. After successfully finishing the treatment, Janey was given the all-clear but then she tragically faced a setback when further scans indicated the return of the disease within her abdomen.
She continued to work as she entered 2024, performing dates across the country in towns and cities including Bristol, Epsom, Norwich and Milton Keynes as part of her Not Dead Yet tour. But in September 2024, Janey was forced to cancel her Why Is She Still Here? tour after contracting sepsis.
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Just one week later, the star told social media followers she was receiving “end-of-life” care after her cancer had spread, and she would be moving into a hospice.
After stating she could no longer go through chemotherapy, Godley said the “devastating news” was difficult to speak about. She explained: “The chemo ran out of options, and I couldn’t take anymore of it. The cancer has spread, so it looks like this will be getting to near the end of it, and it’s really difficult to speak about this and say it to people.
“It is devastating news, to know that I’m facing end of life but we all come to an end some time.”
She added: “I don’t know how long I’ve got left before anybody asks, I’m not a tick tock, I just want you all to know that I appreciate all the love you’ve gave me. Cancer affects one in two people and it’s affected me.”
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Janey is survived by her husband Sean and her daughter Ashley.
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