Good Morning Britain’s Richard Madeley shared a personal story of loss on Tuesday’s (15 April) show, revealing his own tragic encounters with pancreatic cancer.
Co-hosting with Charlotte Hawkins, Richard returned to guide viewers through the day’s top stories and talking points.
The topic arose as Richard and Charlotte spoke with Emmerdale’s Tony Audenshaw about his upcoming participation in the London Marathon, where he’s fundraising for Pancreatic Cancer UK in memory of his late wife Ruth, who died from the disease in 2017.
During the interview, an emotional Richard disclosed that pancreatic cancer had taken a dear friend only months prior and that another was currently battling the illness.
“I mean, I have to tell you. Personally, I’ve lost a very, very close friend to it just a few months ago, and another very, very close friend has just been diagnosed with it,” Richard confided to Tony and Charlotte.
Turning to Tony, he then remarked: “You’re right. All cancers are awful, but pancreatic cancer is especially aggressive, isn’t it?”
Tony, who is running the marathon on his would-be 24th wedding anniversary with Ruth, concurred with Richard, underlining the desperate need for more research funding into pancreatic cancer, reports the Manchester Evening News.
“Yeah. For a long time, this has been underfunded. It is something that Ruth was upset and angry about that this cancer had been so underfunded,” Tony said.
“We need money to go into research, and this breath test is really going to make a massive difference if it goes ahead.”
Tony’s wife, Ruth, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2015 and then died at the age of 43 in April 2017. She left behind a message to her husband, asking him to run for Pancreatic Cancer UK if he ever decided to take part in the London Marathon again.
Tony, who has played Bob Hope in Emmerdale for 25 years, is fulfilling his late wife’s wish and will participate in the iconic race on Sunday, 27 April.
The actor is aiming to raise money to fund a new diagnostic test for pancreatic cancer, which could help to save thousands of lives.
Good Morning Britain airs on weekdays at 6am on ITV1
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