Janey Godley cancels tour and stops work ‘for the foreseeable future’
By Hannah Roberts, PA Entertainment Reporter
Scottish comedian Janey Godley has cancelled her forthcoming tour amid ongoing treatment for terminal ovarian cancer.
Godley, 63, from Glasgow, who was due to embark on UK tour Why Is She Still Here? this autumn, was advised to stop working “for the foreseeable future” while in hospital being treated for sepsis.
A statement to the PA news agency said: “It is with huge sadness that we must announce the cancellation of Janey Godley’s autumn 2024 tour.
“Janey has been living with stage four ovarian cancer for the past few years and the treatment from the wonderful Scottish NHS has kept the disease at bay, but sadly in the last few weeks the cancer has returned and there have been a few added complications.
“Her doctors have now advised her that she must stop work for the foreseeable future.
“Janey is devastated to let down her thousands of loyal fans, and the wonderful venues, she has played many times over the years. She would like to thank everyone for their love and support at this difficult time.”
In a video posted to social media, Godley revealed that she was in hospital where she had been treated for the life-threatening condition which causes the body to respond improperly to an infection.
“Hi everybody, as you’ll see in the news today, we’ve had to cancel the tour”, she said.
“I’m really sorry. We sold thousands and thousands of tickets and there’s so many people employed and my poor bloody agent Chris has been magnificent.
“I’m in the hospital. I’ve been here for eight days, I had sepis as well, and my cancer team has advised me not to work again, just to try and get better.”
She added: “The sepsis is under control but the cancer is spreading so they’ve told me not to work.”
Godley thanked NHS Scotland and end of life charity Marie Curie and apologised to those who had bought tickets to her shows.
Godley, who found viral fame with her dubbed pastiches of Nicola Sturgeon’s coronavirus news briefings during the pandemic, revealed she had ovarian cancer in November 2021.
In 2022 the comedian was given the all-clear and said in a post to X that a scan showed “no evidence of disease”.
However, she later announced that another scan had shown signs of the disease in her abdomen but added that she would continue with her tour in February and March 2023.
Godley told ITV’s Lorraine that fellow comedian Jimmy Carr played a key role in convincing her to continue her tour despite her diagnosis.
She said: “I decided to cancel the tour, and my mate Jimmy Carr said, ‘Is your mouth not working?’. I went, ‘Yeah, my mouth works’ and he said, ‘Well get back on tour.'”
In a video she posted to social media last year, Godley said she had received scan results that showed the treatment she was on was keeping her terminal and incurable ovarian cancer “at bay”.
Earlier in the year, Godley performed dates across the country in towns and cities including Bristol, Epsom, Norwich and Milton Keynes.
Born in poverty in Glasgow in 1961, Godley went on to become a regular co-presenter on BBC Radio 4’s Loose Ends, as well as fronting BBC Radio 4 series The C Bomb.
In 2023 the comedian became the winner of the inaugural Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award at the Glasgow International Comedy Festival.
She faced controversy in 2021 after Scottish Government coronavirus adverts she featured in were pulled after offensive tweets by her came to light following an investigation by the Daily Beast website.
Godley profusely apologised for the tweets and donated the fee she was paid (£12,000) to charity.