Caroline Aherne reveals she has lung cancer
The Royle Family star Caroline Aherne today revealed she is fighting lung cancer.
The award-winning writer, actress and comedienne, who created the character Mrs Merton, has been undergoing treatment in Manchester.
She made the announcement after backing a £3.4 million bid to improve care for cancer patients in the city.
The 50-year-old and her brother, Patrick, were both born with a rare form of eye cancer. They were both fully treated but Caroline was left almost blind in one eye. She has also been treated for bladder cancer.
She said: “I’ve had cancer and my brother’s had cancer and we know how it affects people.
“We’re lucky in Manchester to have some of the best bits of cancer care with places like The Christie, the Nightingale Centre and the Cecelia Centre at Wythenshawe Hospital and St Ann’s Hopice - and the last thing I want to do is knock the fantastic work that goes on in this city.
“But even the best doctors, nurses and managers on earth aren’t going to be able to understand what needs improving unless people affected by cancer in Manchester get involved and tell them what needs to change.”
She told the Manchester Evening News: “It’s truly shocking to learn that Manchester came bottom out of 150 areas in England for premature deaths from cancer. Our survival rates are a quarter lower than average and the number of people getting lung cancer is a third higher here than in the rest of England.
“There are too many stories about bad communication leading to patients waiting too long and feeling ignored and abandoned and that same bad communication is contributing to poor statistics on cancer.”
Aherne, who once had treatment for depression at London's Priory Clinic, retired from the limelight in recent years, choosing to spend time with her family in Timperley, Cheshire, although she has narrated the current series of Channel 4 programme Gogglebox.
She agreed to reveal her diagnosis to help launch a new partnership between Macmillan Cancer Support, patients, GPs, NHS hospital trusts, St Ann’s Hospice and Manchester Council.
Nicola Cook, from Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “Caroline’s one of Manchester’s own - she’s loved here and people identify with her. We hope that if people see that Caroline is sitting down and talking to us then maybe they’ll know that they can too.”
