Comedy legend Jasper Carrott has taken a step back from the spotlight in recent years, but hit headlines this week when his famous daughter Lucy Davis was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer.
The Golden Balls host, 81, broke his silence on Lucy’s health news, telling BBC News he is “so proud” of The Office star in a new statement, in a rare foray back into public life. Though he hasn’t officially retired, he has dramatically reduced the number of shows he performs and limited his TV appearances.
Jasper confessed that he gets the “sympathy vote” from fans who say “it’s probably the last chance we’ll get to see him.”
Famous daughter’s cancer diagnosis
This week, Jasper’s famous daughter Lucy Davis announced she has been diagnosed with incurable breast cancer. Jasper admitted: “This is a very difficult time for the whole family and we have been supporting her in every way possible since her diagnosis.”
“We are so grateful for all the support we have had over this trying time and we are very hopeful for her future being what she wants it to be. We are so proud of our daughter and love her so much. The way she has conducted herself through many traumatic health issues is a lesson to us all.”
“We would request privacy for the coming months, but thanks once again for the love and concern shown by so many people.”
Near-death heart surgery
Golden Balls star Jasper admitted he “could have died” in 2017 when he had to undergo major heart surgery. The star went under the knife for a quadruple bypass at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, explaining: “There’s nothing funny about a quadruple bypass operation, that much I can tell you.”
“I’d felt a bit of tightness in my chest, so I had some scans. The doctors said, ‘Your heart’s fine, but the arteries are a bit blocked up’. Thank God I had the checks, otherwise I could have ended up [dead] like Tom Petty.”
He added: “Everyone kept telling me I would be fine, but an operation like this does give you a vulnerability that I think is a state of mind. I thought I was going to live forever and that they would have to kill me with a stick.”
Multimillion-pound company sale
Jasper decided to invest in the company behind Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Celador Entertainment, when it was sold in 2012 as part of a whopping £112million deal. Show founder Paul Smith made £40million from the deal, while Jasper – one of the main shareholders – took home £17million.
The production company was purchased by 2waytraffic, but held on to Paul as its main show producer at the time. The show is now produced by Sony Pictures Television after a 2018 takeover.
