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Janey Godley obituary: Turning tragedy into comedy

Janey Godley obituary Turning tragedy into comedy
The comedian Janey Godley, who chronicled her struggles in unflinching detail, has died after a long illness.

That connection was tested in September 2021 when comments she had posted on social media a decade before came back to haunt her.

She was dropped as the face of a Scottish government health campaign and admitted the tweets had "terrible, horrific undertones".

Two months later, Godley revealed she had ovarian cancer. She documented her illness and treatments on social media and by touring.

For a while she was considered clear of the disease but in December 2022 she announced that it had returned.

She had been told she could die within the year but continued working. She made a BBC radio programme about her condition and remained a presence on X, formerly Twitter.

She was a contributor to BBC programmes including Have I Got News For You and Breaking the News. More recently she made a BBC documentary following her 2023 tour called Janey.

In April that year she won the inaugural Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award.

He said: "She's a great girl, a great comedian and an extraordinary life story."

Godley said: "I can't believe I've won this. I have won an award from a man that I've admired since I was a child."

Holding up the prize, she said "This is going to be my tombstone."

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