‘The Office’ Star Lucy Davis Reveals She Has Incurable Cancer

Lucy Davis, best known as Dawn Tinsley in the UK version of The Office, has revealed that she is terminally ill.

In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Davis told her 590,000 followers that she has incurable cancer after discovering a lump on her breast. She was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, which metastasized to her bones.

“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,” she wrote.

“The thing that has been most vital to me 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.”

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Davis said the pain from her condition can be acute at times, while standing and walking is not always easy. But she wants to continue acting and doing animal rights work.

“For those of you on a similar journey to mine, I do wish you well. Cancer asks a lot from us, physically and mentally. And we all get to do it however we choose,” she said.

Davis shot to fame in The Office, playing the receptionist at paper merchant Wernham Hogg. A nation cheered on her will-they-won’t-they relationship with Tim Canterbury (Martin Freeman), with Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant ultimately writing a happy ending for the duo. Tinsley was a character who ultimately gave rise to Jenna Fischer’s Pam Beesly in the U.S. series. Davis has also starred in Wonder Woman and Shaun of the Dead.