Scottish comedian Janey Godley cancels autumn tour amid ongoing ovarian cancer treatment

Scottish comedian Janey Godley has cancelled her autumn tour amid ongoing treatment for ovarian cancer.

Godley, 63, from Glasgow, was due to embark on the Why Is She Still Here? tour, which included dates across UK cities including London, Belfast and Edinburgh, before her doctors advised her that she should stop working “for the foreseeable future”.

A statement to the PA news agency said: “It is with huge sadness that we must announce the cancellation of Janey Godley’s autumn 2024 tour.

“Janey has been living with stage four ovarian cancer for the past few years and the treatment from the wonderful Scottish NHS has kept the disease at bay, but sadly in the last few weeks the cancer has returned and there have been a few added complications.

“Her doctors have now advised her that she must stop work for the foreseeable future.

“Janey is devastated to let down her thousands of loyal fans, and the wonderful venues, she has played many times over the years. She would like to thank everyone for their love and support at this difficult time.”

Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon chairs an event with comedian Janey Godley at the Aye Write book festival at the Royal Concert Hall (Robert Perry/PA) PA Media

Godley, who found viral fame with her dubbed pastiches of Nicola Sturgeon’s coronavirus news briefings during the pandemic, revealed she had ovarian cancer in November 2021.

In 2022 the comedian was given the all-clear and said in a post to X that a scan showed “no evidence of disease”.

However, she later announced that another scan had shown signs of the disease in her abdomen but added that she would continue with her tour in February and March 2023.

Janey Godley arrives for the Pride of Scotland awards in 2021 (Andrew Milligan/PA) PA Media

In a video she posted to social media last year, Godley said she had received scan results that showed the treatment she was on was keeping her terminal and incurable ovarian cancer “at bay”.

Earlier in the year, Godley performed dates across the country in towns and cities including Bristol, Epsom, Norwich and Milton Keynes as part of her Not Dead Yet tour.

In 2023 the comedian became the winner of the inaugural Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award at the Glasgow International Comedy Festival.

She faced controversy in 2021 after Scottish Government coronavirus adverts she featured in were pulled after offensive tweets by her came to light following an investigation by the Daily Beast website.