Yahoo News Comedian Janey Godley vows to 'go out with a bang' following terminal cancer diagnosis
The stand-up comic said she wants to be able to laugh and forget her health problems.
Comedian Janey Godley has vowed to "go out with a bang" as she embarks on her latest stand-up tour whilst undergoing also chemotherapy.
The 61-year-old stand-up comic – who was diagnosed in 2021 with stage three ovarian cancer – has refused to cancel her tour of Scotland after her cancer returned.
Godley told Lorraine Kelly: "On the very first day I get chemotherapy and so I go straight from the Beatson [Cancer Clinic in Glasgow] straight into the tour van and straight on stage.
Read more: Comedian Rhod Gilbert 'optimistic' after stage four cancer diagnosis
"I genuinely cannot wait to see people, have a laugh and talk about something that isn't about the symptoms of cancer. I want to be able to have a laugh and I am excited."
She added: "Ovarian stage three cancer is treatable, but it's not curable. It never goes away and it's always there. It's always going to come back and I'm always going to have to keep fighting it.
Watch: Janey Godley has shared her cancer journey on social media
"I don’t know how long I’ve got, but like a mayfly, I’m gonna enjoy it while I can. And I’m gonna go on tour, and if I’m gonna go out, I’m gonna go out with a bang."
Mayflies are known for living for just one day after getting their wings and have become an analogy for making the most of a short life.
Godley credited the Scottish NHS for providing her with excellent care.
She said: "‘They’ve been there at every single point. They throw everything at it, and they are just wonderful.
"They’ve saved my life so far, and who knows?"
The comedian – known for her appearances on Have I Got News For You and viral videos impersonating Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon – is taking her daughter, up-and-coming comedian Ashley, on tour with her.
Godley underwent a hysterectomy and chemotherapy in 2021 but her cancer has now spread to her peritoneum in her abdomen.
The comedian told her 276,000 followers in a video on social media in December: "I am determined to get back on stage.
"I've always been a die on your feet, not on your knees kind of person."
The comic had announced in June last year that she was cancer free.
The comedian is a supporter of the SNP and Scottish independence and often shares videos of Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon, accompanied by parody voiceovers.
Read more: Tracey Emin opens up about living with cancer
In 2016 Godley was pictured standing outside Donald Trump's Turnberry Golf resort with a sign that read: "Trump is a ****".
