Janey Godley was receiving palliative care for terminal cancer. Photo: PA

Comedian Janey Godley dies aged 63

by · BreakingNews.ie

Scottish comedian Janey Godley has died aged 63 after receiving palliative treatment for terminal cancer, her management company has confirmed.

In a statement, Chris Davis Management said she would be “hugely missed by her family, friends and her many fans”.

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

Despite her diagnosis, she later returned to touring but cancelled autumn event dates in September 2024.

Godley made her name during the Covid pandemic with her parodies of Nicola Sturgeon (Andrew Mulligan/PA)

She said she would be getting palliative care and going into a hospice in a video shared to social media on September 25th.

Her management company confirmed on Saturday that she had died “surrounded by her loved ones”.

A statement from Chris Davis Management read: “It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our client doctor Janey Godley on November 2.

“Janey died peacefully in the wonderful Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice in Glasgow surrounded by her loved ones. She will be hugely missed by her family, friends and her many fans.

“She will be remembered for her legendary voiceovers of Nicola Sturgeon during the pandemic, her hilarious and outspoken comedy, but most of all for just being Janey.”

Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon and comedian Janey Godley (left) before an event at the Aye Write book festival in Glasgow in 2023 (Robert Perry/PA)

Born in poverty in Glasgow in 1961, Godley went on to become a regular co-presenter on BBC Radio 4’s Loose Ends, as well as fronting BBC Radio 4 series The C Bomb.

The comedian was photographed at Turnberry golf resort with her infamous “unwelcome” sign for Donald Trump in 2016.

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

The comedian was given the all-clear in 2022 but later that year announced another scan had shown signs of the disease in her abdomen.

However, she said that she would continue touring with her Not Dead Yet gigs.

In September 2024 she cancelled her tour this autumn due to her stage four ovarian cancer, which had been kept at bay through NHS treatment over the last few years but had returned with some added complications.