The Office star Lucy Davis has revealed she has been diagnosed with incurable stage 4 breast cancer, saying she is “at peace” with the news.
Davis, 53, shared the announcement on Instagram on Tuesday, posting a video of herself ringing a bell used to mark cancer treatment. She said the cancer has metastasised to her bones, specifically her spine, right hip, and ribs.
“The cancer is incurable, and too late for chemo,” she wrote. She described finding a “hard spot” that was “really tiny” and almost didn’t get checked, urging others: “Don't ignore anything - get everything checked out.”
Family background and early life
Born in Birmingham on February 17, 1973, Davis is the daughter of comedian Jasper Carrott and his wife Hazel Jackson. She was educated at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, whose alumni include Naomi Campbell, Patsy Kensit, and Sharon Osbourne.
Davis has two sisters and a brother. She used her mother’s maiden name, Jackson, early in her career to avoid being labelled a “nepo baby,” and her father has said he deliberately stayed out of her career.
Previous health battles
In December 1997, Davis underwent a kidney transplant after being diagnosed with kidney failure. Her mother donated the kidney at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The hospital said at the time: “University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust has performed a living-related kidney transplant on the wife and daughter of Jasper Carrott.”
Davis was hospitalised again around Christmas 2005 with kidney failure but recovered. She also developed Type 1 diabetes and has spoken about her battle with bulimia, which she said worsened around the time of her divorce from actor Owain Yeoman in 2011.
Marriage and recent news
Davis married Yeoman at St Paul’s Cathedral in London in December 2006, but the couple divorced in October 2011. She moved to Hollywood in 2004, where her health deteriorated.
In her Instagram post, Davis said she is trying to live her remaining life “in as fun a way as I possibly can.” She added: “I'm not scared of whatever comes next. I'm at peace with it. I'll see my Gracie [her dog, who died in 2024] sooner than expected, and for me, leaving my physical body just means going home. Any and all grieving is for my family; it's far harder for them than for me.”
