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Lucy Davis revealed a devastating Stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis after quietly battling the disease for the past year and a half.
“The Office” actress said the cancer had metastasized to her spine, right hip and ribs and was now “incurable,” with chemotherapy no longer an option.
“The initial lump that I felt, wasn’t a ‘lump’ as such; rather a kind of hard spot. Really tiny,” she wrote on Instagram. “I almost didn’t bother getting it checked. So I guess I’m saying don’t ignore anything – get everything checked out.”
Rather than dwell on her prognosis, Davis said she was determined to embrace whatever time she had left.
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‘The Office’ actress Lucy Davis is opening up about her private battle with incurable Stage 4 breast cancer – and the subtle symptom she almost ignored. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
“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 explained. “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.”
Davis said maintaining that outlook had not made the physical realities of cancer any easier.
“As some of you will know, the pain can really be something else,” Davis wrote. “Standing and walking for too long a time can be hard, and I need to use a wheelchair sometimes (so if you see me toddling around in one, feel free to give me a push!)”
Despite the pain, Davis said she had found peace with what could come next.
“The Office” star Lucy Davis says she’s choosing joy, purpose and peace as she continues acting and advocating for animal rights amid her cancer diagnosis. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
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“I’m not scared of whatever comes next,” she said. “I’m at peace with it. I’ll see my Gracie sooner than expected, and for me, leaving my physical body just means going home. Any and all grieving is for my family; it’s far harder for them than for me.”
But Davis made clear she had no plans to stop pursuing the work and causes she loved.
“I’m still going to keep up all my work for animal rights,” Davis noted. “It’s so important to me. And I still would like to keep working. I’m perfectly able to do so, and acting is one of the biggest joys in my life.”
After an 18-month battle kept largely out of the public eye, Lucy Davis shared an emotional update on cancer’s physical toll and the outlook keeping her going. (Dave Benett/Getty Images)
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Simon Pegg, Lucy Davies and Nick Frost attend the U.K. premiere of “Shaun of the Dead” on March 30, 2004. (Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Davis began acting in the 1990s, with an early role as Maria Lucas in the BBC’s acclaimed 1995 adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice.” Her major breakthrough came as receptionist Dawn Tinsley in Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s original British version of “The Office,” which ran from 2001 to 2003 and became an international comedy phenomenon.
Davis later built a career spanning British comedy and major Hollywood productions including, “Shaun of the Dead,” “Wonder Woman,” “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” and “The Villains of Valley View.”
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