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Leah Bracknell in 2001 PA Wire/PA Images

'A kind heart': Former Emmerdale actress Leah Bracknell dies three years after cancer diagnosis

Bracknell’s cancer diagnosis came to light in October 2016.

FORMER EMMERDALE STAR Leah Bracknell has died three years after being diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer.

The actress, who played Zoe Tate on the ITV soap for 16 years until 2005, died in September at the age of 55.

She also had roles in Judge John Deed, A Touch of Frost, The Royal Today and DCI Banks to name just a few, as well as numerous appearances on stage and in pantomime.

A statement from her manager, on behalf of Bracknell’s family, said: “They would like to thank all the public for their support and generosity which contributed to the extension and quality of her life over the past three years.

“Leah continued to embrace life and faced her illness with positivity. Many aspects of her journey can be found on her blog – somethingbeginningwithc.com.

Leah had an energy and enthusiasm for life, a kind heart and much love to give to those around her.

“Her family have asked for privacy at this very sad time.”

John Whiston, managing director of continuing drama and head of ITV in the north, said in a statement: “Everyone on Emmerdale is very sad to hear of the death of Leah Bracknell. Leah was a hugely popular member of the Emmerdale cast for over 16 years.

“During that time she featured in some of the show’s most high-profile and explosive plots and always delivered a pitch perfect performance.

Zoe Tate was one of soap’s first lesbian characters and Leah made sure the character was both exciting and credible.

“Leah herself was a very generous and caring colleague, much loved by cast and crew alike.”

Diagnosis

Bracknell’s cancer diagnosis came to light in October 2016 when her husband Jez Hughes launched a GoFundMe page to raise money for her to undergo treatment overseas, due to a lack of options available on the NHS.

The former soap star had been diagnosed in September after rapid weight gain around her abdomen and breathlessness prompted her to seek medical help.

After Bracknell was diagnosed, fans helped her raise more than £50,000 to undergo groundbreaking treatment in Germany.

She started taking new medication, but later revealed that it had failed.

Bracknell has appeared in public numerous times over the past three years, discussing living with cancer and talking openly about her numerous methods to ease her symptoms, and she wrote about her experiences on her blog, Something Beginning With C.

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    Mute Me
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    Nov 13th 2011, 9:39 PM

    Here lads. Someone has been injured in a seriously unpleasant attack. Is it really a place to be acting like two kids in a playground? Go do it somewhere else.

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    Mute Adrian quinn
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    Nov 13th 2011, 9:51 PM

    Fair enough.

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    Mute BustingMyAss
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    Nov 13th 2011, 9:51 PM

    Well said, sorry I lost the run of myself.

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    Mute Waffler
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    Nov 13th 2011, 9:52 PM

    i simply made a comment about how the media sensationalises violence today when in reality we are a much safer society than not so long ago. naturally the victim has my sympathy. somehow adrian feels i should be murdered for expressing an observation

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    Mute Sharon Larkin
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    Nov 13th 2011, 8:33 PM

    That’s terrible. Hope they catch the ones who did it.

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    Mute Adrian quinn
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    Nov 13th 2011, 9:26 PM

    Utter nonsense. You did not see 3 fights every night you went out. You simply did not. A complete lie. You are an idiot. You should not be let near a computer. Not just for this comment, but for every other idiotic, badly spelt, uninformed comment you have posted in the past.

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    Mute Waffler
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    Nov 13th 2011, 9:34 PM

    walk across oconnell bridge in 1990 at 2am and get back to me. and the good news is i was stabbed twice in my teens, once with a syringe, the bad news for you is i lived

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    Mute BustingMyAss
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    Nov 13th 2011, 9:43 PM

    I remember Cork in the 80′s: fights were very common and people were quite baise about it. Gang fights were common: often you’d get 2-3 van loads of scumbags descending on rival estates for a royal rumble. This all died out when XTC hit in the early 90′s. You were more likely to get a hug walking home after that!

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    Mute Shanti Om
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    Nov 13th 2011, 8:48 PM

    Sending all the best to the victim. Here’s hoping the perpetrators are caught quickly.

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    Mute BustingMyAss
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    Nov 13th 2011, 9:43 PM

    Well said Om

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    Mute Waffler
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    Nov 13th 2011, 10:35 PM

    ok this comment was removed so i’ll try again. for all those red thumbing me let me give you some perspective. when i was fifteen i was stabbed after a school football match in tolka park along with 7 of my classmates. when i was eighteen i was accosted by 3 men at a bus stop on abbey st. they made me empty my money at an atm before stabbing me with a syringe. neither incident got media coverage as they were common occurences back then. i’m glad we’ve progressed so much that these incidents are so rare that they make headlines. maybe you’ll delete this again but i’m baffled why

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    Mute M kenny
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    Nov 13th 2011, 8:48 PM

    Wtf is Ireland becoming?

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    Mute Waffler
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    Nov 13th 2011, 9:11 PM

    you are joking? the fact that this makes the news shoe how much safer we are now than 20 years ago. when i started going out in dublin i would see at least 3 fights a night between grafton st and my bus on abbey st, rarely see any street violence these days

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    Mute Adrian quinn
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    Nov 13th 2011, 10:33 PM

    Waffler I’m sorry for that silly comment earlier. You are however misinterpeting the report. The news item simply stated that a woman had been stabbed. No sensationalism. Simply a news report. You appear at times to post here just for reaction. All under a psuedonym by the way.

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    Nov 13th 2011, 8:36 PM

    we have it good today, when i was growing up this happened day in day out

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    Nov 13th 2011, 8:40 PM

    grew up where exactly waffler?

    hope the victim recovers.

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    Mute Adrian quinn
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    Nov 13th 2011, 9:08 PM

    Tool

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    Mute Adrian quinn
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    Nov 13th 2011, 9:08 PM

    Where do you live?

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    Mute Waffler
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    Nov 13th 2011, 9:08 PM

    blanchardstown in the 80s. theyd send in the army now if it was still like that

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    Mute Waffler
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    Nov 13th 2011, 9:29 PM

    wtf adrian?

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    Mute Brian M
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    Nov 13th 2011, 10:12 PM

    My comment removed!? And I cheered for you in the convention centre last Thursday night…

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    Mute Waffler
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    Nov 13th 2011, 10:15 PM

    i cant see why your comment was removed, please explain journal

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    Mute Waffler
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    Nov 13th 2011, 10:24 PM

    and wheres my last comment gone? what the hell is going on?

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