The Office star Lucy Davis reveals incurable breast cancer in emotional post: 'Don't ignore anything'

Dubai: Lucy Davis, who played Dawn Tinsley in the original British version of The Office, has told her followers she has incurable breast cancer.

The actor, 53, posted on Instagram on Tuesday, revealing she was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer around 18 months ago after finding something on her breast. The cancer has spread to her spine, right hip and ribs.

"The cancer is incurable, and too late for chemo," she wrote.

"The initial lump that I felt, wasn't a 'lump' as such; rather a kind of hard spot. Really tiny. I almost didn't bother getting it checked," she wrote.

Then: "So I guess I'm saying don't ignore anything, get everything checked out."

How she is approaching it

"As of now, I'm trying to live out whatever might be left of my life in as fun a way as I possibly can," she wrote. "I always like to find the teachable moments in anything negative that happens. And cancer has not disappointed in that regard; there's a lot I have learned from it, and I'm grateful for that."

What has helped most, she said, is humour, and being allowed to remain herself.

"I asked my friends and family to make fun of me as much as possible, which they're really good at, and most importantly of all to not treat me like a sick person. There's nothing that will make you feel more unwell than being treated as if you're unwell."

She mentioned that pain will mean using a wheelchair at times, and dealt with that in the same register. If you see her in one, she said, feel free to give her a push.

She closed with this: "I'm not scared of whatever comes next. I'm at peace with it."

She intends to keep working

Davis said she plans to continue acting for as long as she is able, calling it one of the biggest joys in her life.

She also addressed anyone in a similar position. "Cancer asks a lot from us, physically and mentally. And we all get to do it however we choose," she wrote, before signing off with much love to everyone.

Who she is

Davis played Dawn, the receptionist at Wernham Hogg, across the two series of The Office that ran from 2001 to 2003 and became one of the most influential British comedies ever made.

Her slow-burn relationship with Martin Freeman's Tim ran through the whole show and gave it its emotional centre, culminating in the Christmas special that Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant wrote as an ending. The character later became the template for Jenna Fischer's Pam Beesly in the American remake.

Freeman and Mackenzie Crook revisited her performance recently in the BBC programme Mackenzie Crook and Martin Freeman Remember... The Office, with Crook describing it as beautiful and subtle.

Beyond The Office, she played Dianne in Shaun of the Dead, Etta Candy in Wonder Woman, and Hilda Spellman across Netflix's Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. She appeared in the BBC's 1995 Pride and Prejudice and spent years as Hayley Jordan in The Archers on Radio 4.

She is the daughter of the comedian Jasper Carrott.