Actress Lucy Davis Diagnosed With ‘Incurable’ Cancer
Lucy Davis, known for playing Dawn Tinsley in the original U.K. version of The Office, has revealed she has Stage 4 breast cancer that has spread to her bones.
Davis, 53, shared the news on Instagram Tuesday, explaining that she was diagnosed about a year and a half ago. She said the cancer has metastasized to her spine, right hip and ribs and is incurable.
“A year and a half ago I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Breast Cancer, which has metastasized to my bones,” Davis wrote. “The cancer is incurable, and too late for chemo.”
The actress said the initial sign was not a typical lump, but a small, hard area that she nearly ignored.
“So I guess I’m saying don’t ignore anything – get everything checked out:)” she wrote.
Davis said she is focused on making the most of her life while continuing to work and advocate for causes important to her, including animal rights.
“As of now, I’m trying to live out whatever might be left of my life in as fun a way as I possibly can,” she wrote. “I always like to find the teachable moments in anything negative that happens.”
The actress also opened up about the physical challenges she has experienced, saying pain can make standing and walking difficult and that she sometimes uses a wheelchair.
“The thing that has been most vital to me is humour,” Davis wrote, adding that she has asked her friends and family to make fun of her and, importantly, not treat her like a sick person.
“There’s nothing that will make you feel more unwell than being treated as if you’re unwell,” she said.
Davis also wrote that she is not afraid of what comes next and said she is at peace with her circumstances.
“I’m not scared of whatever comes next. I’m at peace with it,” she wrote.
Davis rose to prominence as Dawn, the receptionist at Wernham Hogg who became the love interest of Tim Canterbury, played by Martin Freeman, on The Office. The British comedy, created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, recently marked its 25th anniversary.
Following the series, Davis appeared in films including the 2004 comedy-horror Shaun of the Dead and the 2017 superhero movie Wonder Woman, in which she played Etta Candy, according to IMDb.
She later portrayed Hilda Spellman on Netflix’s The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and appeared as Eva in Disney Channel’s The Villains of Valley View.
In her Instagram post, Davis also shared a video of herself reading a poem while ringing a bell in a hospital.
