The Office and Wonder Woman star Lucy Davis has announced she has been diagnosed with "incurable" breast cancer, the latest health setback for the 53-year-old. The daughter of comedian Jasper Carrott shared the news in an emotional Instagram post on Tuesday, insisting she is "at peace with whatever comes next".
Kidney Transplant and Diabetes
Davis's health issues date back to the 1990s when she developed kidney problems. In 1997, at age 21, she required a kidney transplant, with her mother Hazel donating one of hers. In a 2012 interview with The Standard, she recalled: "I'm reminded of the illness twice a day when I have to take my pills - 20 a day to stop my body rejecting my new kidney. Although I don't wallow in what happened or think about what might have been. I know that I have been extremely fortunate."
While recovering from the operation, she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. She later told Diabetes UK: "When you are first diagnosed...it can seem overwhelming and frightening...I've known people who allow their difficulties in life to define them. They say 'Why me?'. But I have to say to myself 'Why not me?'."
Ongoing Health Challenges
In Christmas 2005, she was rushed to hospital with suspected kidney failure, though she recovered. She has also opened up about her battle with bulimia, which she said was at its worst during her divorce in 2011. Her move to Hollywood in 2004 took a toll, as she told the Daily Mail in 2012: "The last few years have been rough, and I wasn't able to work. It's all to do with my life-long obsession with weight and food."
While promoting Wonder Woman in 2017, she said she was finally "at peace" with her body, reflecting: "In my 30s, I would have hated to look like this. I probably wouldn't have gone out much."
Ambassador for Kidney Donation
Since her transplant, Davis has been an ambassador for kidney donation. Just two months ago, she and her mother took part in the "One's Enough" campaign, with Davis writing on Instagram: "My mum gave me a kidney over 28 years ago! Both my kidney, and her remaining one, are still going strong...I understand that the process is simpler than when we had our transplants."
