Lucy Davis has announced that she has terminal breast cancer, and her philosophical outlook on the devastating news has been praised by the Mirror's Nicola Methven.
Public Announcement and Reaction
Publicly announcing that you have incurable cancer, as Lucy Davis has done, cannot be easy. Reading her carefully chosen words, many people will feel shocked and saddened to hear what the actress is facing at the age of just 53.
And the fact that she is so philosophical about it is both admirable and heartbreaking at the same time. Lucy has made her peace with the diagnosis and does not feel fearful about what the future holds for herself, but is worried about the affect it will have on her family and friends.
A Determined Positive Outlook
The actress seems absolutely determined to stay positive, deciding to have as many laughs as possible for as long as she can and insisting people make fun of her rather than treat her like “a sick person”.
And when it comes to laughs, let’s remember just how era-defining The Office was, and how brilliantly she played bored receptionist Dawn. The scene when she and Tim finally got together in the closing scenes of The Office is probably my top TV moment of all time.
Remembering The Office
I can still remember what I was doing on the day that the second Christmas special aired on December 27, 2003 – walking on Southend pier. We couldn’t wait to get back to find out how the BBC mockumentary was going to end. Boy, it didn’t disappoint.
When Dawn returned to the Wernham Hogg office party to grab Tim and kiss him after opening his art kit Secret Santa in the cab, I properly cheered out loud (along with half the country, I’m sure).
The words on the note with the gift, “never give up” seem particularly poignant now. The audience cheered again when Gareth said, “Careful, she’s got a fiance,” and Dawn replied: “Not any more I haven’t.” Lee was toast. At last!
Looking Ahead
The pair of them walking off hand in hand was the perfect ending to arguably the best Christmas special in TV history.
So when Lucy says that she’s hoping to carry on working because acting is “one of the biggest joys” in her life, I’m sure everyone will be behind her.
