Ex-EastEnders star Richard 'dying of cancer'

Former EastEnders star Wendy Richard is dying of cancer and has already made plans for her own funeral, the 65-year-old soap star has revealed in an interview published on Sunday.

The British actress, who is best known for her role as Pauline Fowler in the London-based soap for 21 years, told The Sunday Express newspaper she was diagnosed with the disease during a checkup in January.

"Twice I've had breast cancer but this is different. It's more aggressive this time, unfortunately, and has spread to the top of my spine and left ribs," she told the paper.

She was given a course of drugs, but the cancer had since spread to her bones and left kidney.

"The drugs I was given to help had an adverse effect. If anything, they did more damage than good so my health has really deteriorated," she said. "Now I have a cancerous growth on my right kidney and the cancer has spread to my bones."

The actress, who was born in Middlesbrough in northeastern England, also revealed she will be getting married next week to her 45-year-old partner John Burns, before starting an intensive course of chemotherapy in mid-October.

"My oncologist said I've got several useful years ahead of me but since then, it's got worse," said Richard who has been struggling with terrible nausea and pain in her bones and kidneys.

Before joining the cast of EastEnders in 1985, Richard was best known for her role as the saucy cockney shopgirl Shirley Brahms in the 1970s comedy Are You Being Served?

She also starred in several other British comedies, including Dad's Army and a number of Carry On films, a series of slapstick comedies from the 1960s and 70s characterised by their constant use of sexual innuendo and double entendres.

Via afp