Emmerdale actress Lisa Riley is fronting a new campaign to raise awareness of lung cancer signs and symptoms after losing both her grandmother and her close friend and former co-star Leah Bracknell to the disease.
The Don’t Delay – Every Breath Matters campaign launches this week alongside research commissioned by specialist cancer-care provider GenesisCare showing widespread confusion and stigma around the causes of lung cancer.
Nearly 40,000 diagnosed each year in England
Lung cancer remains the UK’s deadliest cancer, claiming more lives than any other type, and is the biggest cause of cancer deaths among British women, causing substantially more deaths than breast cancer. Almost one in 10 people diagnosed with the disease have never smoked.
The research shows that 70% of people are unaware of all the signs and symptoms of lung cancer, while almost half don’t know that those who have never smoked can still develop the disease. Among people who have experienced symptoms that could indicate lung cancer, 57% admit they have delayed seeking medical advice.
Personal losses drive campaign
For Lisa, 50, who plays Mandy Dingle in Emmerdale, the campaign is deeply personal. In 2002, her grandmother dismissed symptoms as “just a smoker’s cough” and delayed seeking help until it was too late. Lisa also lost Leah to the disease in 2019 aged just 55, despite Leah having never smoked.
Leah, a trained yoga teacher and TV actress who played Zoe Tate on the soap opera, experienced breathlessness so severe she found it difficult to use the stairs. Her symptoms developed quickly, and her diagnosis came after she was rushed to hospital with a heart problem, subsequently found to be a side effect of her lung cancer.
“Lung cancer has taken away two very special women in my life,” says Lisa. “Watching my grandmother’s rapid deterioration from her lung cancer diagnosis to her passing away was an extremely challenging time. She was always my biggest support through drama school and my career, and I just wish it had been caught sooner.”
“Leah was one of the healthiest people I knew. I remember the whole cast and I being totally shell-shocked when we heard the news she had lung cancer. The fact she was a non-smoker and a yoga teacher who valued the power of breathwork so much meant lung cancer was the last thing we’d have expected for her. It was such an eye-opener that lung cancer really can affect anyone. That’s why this campaign is so important – we all need to be aware of the signs and symptoms and be aware lung cancer is a disease that can affect anyone.”
Fighting stigma and encouraging early action
Lisa adds: “I’m passionate about getting rid of the stigma associated with having lung cancer. We need to make it easier for people, regardless of whether they’ve ever smoked or not, to recognise when something isn’t right, speak to their doctor and get the right support and treatment as quickly as possible.”
“Of the 40,000 people diagnosed with lung cancer in England each year, one in 10 have never smoked – many more people need to be aware of this. I also didn’t realise that lung cancer is more common in female non-smokers than in male non-smokers. If more people recognise the symptoms and seek help sooner, outcomes can be improved.”
Reflecting on her grandmother, Lisa said: “Grandma Pat, my dad’s mum, was a right good egg as we say up North. We were so, so close – she really was such a wonderful, inspirational, kind and caring lady. And she was my cheerleader.”
“She was diagnosed with lung cancer in May 2002 and passed away that September – she was only 69. She was a smoker, and suffered a terrible cough. I think she must have known it could be something sinister, but she really didn’t want to bother her GP – or her family. By the time she had her X-ray, the mass was so big, it must have been there a long time. I desperately wish she had gone to see someone sooner.”
New rapid response pathway in Leeds
The campaign launches alongside a Lung Cancer Rapid Response Pathway available at a new specialist cancer centre in Leeds, designed to speed up access and coordination of care, helping patients reach a diagnosis and treatment plan as quickly as possible.
Research highlighted by the campaign shows that reducing the time taken to diagnose lung cancer from 29 days to 15 days was associated with an increase in post-treatment median survival from 312 days to 503 days. The research does not mean every individual patient will gain six months from a faster diagnosis, but it underlines the importance of reducing avoidable delays.
Dr Kevin Franks, consultant clinical oncologist at GenesisCare, says: “The new GenesisCare centre in Leeds will give people with lung cancer greater certainty, faster decisions and earlier access to the treatment that is right for them. We’re building a pathway designed around the patient, bringing these different elements together and giving our clinical team real-time visibility of what is happening. Our new Lung Cancer Rapid Response Pathway will ensure patients are provided with a diagnosis and treatment plan in the most efficient timeframe possible.”
Anyone experiencing symptoms such as a persistent cough, unexplained breathlessness, chest pain, coughing up blood, unexplained weight loss or ongoing fatigue should seek medical advice.
