Lucy Davis told fans she was ‘grateful’ for their support during a public appearance at a convention, just days after revealing she has incurable breast cancer.
The TV star, 53, appeared at the For The Love of Fantasy & Sci Fi convention at Excel London on Saturday, less than two weeks after sharingnews of her cancer diagnosis on Instagram.
Alongside meeting fans, The actress also took part in an onstage panel with Simon Pegg and director Edgar Wright, talking about her role in the 2004 ‘rom-zom-com’, Shaun of the Dead.
During the interview, she told the audience about how much she had enjoyed her interactions with the movie’s fans during the day’s event.
‘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,’ she said, according to BBC News. ‘We need a bit more niceness in the world, so I’m grateful.’
The convention marked Davis’s first appearance at an event since since sharing that she has stage four breast cancer which has ‘metastasised’ to her spine, right hip and ribs, meaning it’s ‘too late’ for chemotherapy.
The actress was kept busy signing autographs for fans and posing for photos before taking part in the panel on Saturday, where several fans posing questions to her told her: ‘I love you so much.’
She wasn’t asked directly about her health, however.
Davis explained in her statement on social media on August 11 that she had received her diagnosis 18 months ago after feeling a ‘really tiny’ lump that was more ‘a kind of hard spot’.
‘I almost didn’t bother getting it checked. So I guess I’m saying don’t ignore anything – get everything checked out,’ she added.
Davis, who is best known for playing Dawn Tinsley in Ricky Gervais’ BBC sitcom The Office, continued: ‘As of now, I’m trying to live out whatever might be left of my life in as fun a way as I possibly can.
‘I always like to find the teachable moments in anything negative that happens. And cancer has not disappointed in that regard; there’s a lot I have learned from it, and I’m grateful for that.’
Davis, who is the daughter of comedian Jasper Carrott, also revealed that ‘standing and walking for too long a time can be hard’ and said she sometimes needs to use a wheelchair.
However, she shared that one of the most important things that has helped her through the cancer is humour.
‘I asked my friends and family to make fun of me as much as possible (which they’re really good at🙄), and most importantly of all to not treat me like a sick person,’ she said.
‘There’s nothing that will make you feel more unwell than being treated as if you’re unwell.’
Davis also wrote that she is ‘not scared of whatever comes next’ and is ‘at peace with it’.
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Ahead of her appearance at the convention, organisers had been forced to confirm that she would still be taking part, with the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina actress posting an update on Instagram, which read: ‘In light of the recent news, we would like to confirm that Lucy Davis is still attending the event and is very much looking forward to meeting her fans!
‘We can’t wait to welcome Lucy and give you the opportunity to meet her.’
‘Can’t wait to meet you at @ftlofantasyscifi this weekend!’ Davis wrote in the caption. ‘Looking forward to seeing my friends @simonpegg and @edgarwright and especially meeting the #terminator2 cast. Such a good film. See you there!’
Davis featured as part of a star-studded line-up at this weekend’s convention, including John Cena, Lena Headey, Hayley Atwell, Billie Piper, John Cleese and Terminator actors Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, Edward Furlong and Michael Biehn.