First public appearance
Lucy Davis, best known for her role as Dawn Tinsley in The Office, made her first public appearance on Saturday at the For The Love of Fantasy & Sci-Fi convention at Excel London, less than two weeks after revealing her incurable stage four breast cancer diagnosis. The 53-year-old actress, who played Dianne in the 2004 zombie-comedy Shaun of the Dead, appeared on a panel alongside the film's director Edgar Wright and its star Simon Pegg, as reported by BBC — World, Birmingham Live, The daily Star, and The i Paper.
According to BBC — World, Davis signed autographs and posed for photographs before taking the stage. Several fans told her 'I love you so much,' though she was not asked directly about her health during the panel.
A message of gratitude and hope
Davis praised the community she found among fans, telling the audience: "It's like this whole second family you never knew you had. Everyone is like a community, friendly, supportive of not only us but you guys and each other. We need a bit more niceness in the world, so I'm grateful."
According to The Irish Sun and other outlets, she also offered career advice, saying: "Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do or be anything that you want to do or be. We all grow up just with lies from the world telling us that we all have limitations, and none of us do. Our only limitations are the things that we think are limiting us. You can do anything and be anybody, and don't apologise for it."
She also recalled fun moments from filming Shaun of the Dead, including when the cast "pretended to be zombies and walked across the square; it was like being naughty schoolkids," as quoted by BBC Radio and The Irish Sun.
Announcement of diagnosis
Earlier this month, on 11 August, via an Instagram post, Davis revealed she was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer about 18 months earlier, as reported by multiple outlets including ABC Australia and BBC World. She said the cancer had metastasised to her bones, including her spine, right hip, and ribs, and that it was "incurable, and too late for chemo."
In her initial post, she recalled discovering the condition: "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. So I guess I'm saying don't ignore anything — get everything checked out."
She also shared that humour had been vital: "I asked my friends and my family to make fun of me as much as possible," and she expressed a desire to bring fun into the rest of her life. In a video included in her post, she read the poem Ring the Bell, according to ABC Australia, and said she was not scared of what lay ahead, as reported by The Irish Sun.
Describe support and reaction
Two days after her announcement, Davis thanked followers on Instagram, saying the response was "overwhelming" and that she was "in shock", was quoted by BBC and beyond. She added, "I had zero idea my cancer post would get the attention it did... Good grief, it was emotional."
Edgar Wright shared a selfie with her and Simon Pegg on Instagram, captioning it "What a delight to hang with my old mucker and the always lovely...", as reported by the Evening Standard.
Her father, comedian Jasper Carrott, told BBC News: "This is a very difficult time for the whole family," and said the way she conducted herself was "a lesson to push us all." He requested privacy, as reported by the Coventry Telegraph and Birmingham Live.
Perspective on the same journey
Towards the end of her initial post, Davis added a note to others similarly affected, "For those of you on a similar journey to mine, I do wish you well...", as reported by ABC Australia.