Tributes have been paid to actress Morag Siller, also a patron at Beechwood Cancer Care Centre in Stockport, after losing her own battle with the disease.
Morag, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011, died at the age of just 46 at The Christie hospital.
She had been a patron at Beechwood for 12 months, after being so moved by the work of the centre, that she experienced first-hand as a patient.
Morag was best known for her roles in Emmerdale and Doctors, and she also appeared in the 1990 film Memphis Belle. She also appeared briefly in Coronation Street and EastEnders.
Following her time using the services, she continued to show her support at events such as the Ladies Lunch and the Key 103 appeal Cash for Kids, as well as visiting other cancer patients at the centre in Bridgehall.
Morag was also patron at Genesis Breast Cancer Prevention, based in Wythenshawe, with her good friend and fellow actress, Sally Dynevor, famed for her role in Coronation Street as Sally Webster – now Metcalfe.
Sally said: “I first met Morag about six years ago and it came about due to us both living with breast cancer.
“I knew we were going to be friends instantly. We talked about what we had both been going through on our first meeting and we have been great friends ever since.
“We did a lot together for charity – she was very passionate about the work she did and cared very much about Beechwood and Genesis.
“She once got me to perform Abba with her out of the blue for Genesis – she just made you feel you could do anything. I wish I had known her for longer, she was such an inspiration.
“I feel very lucky to have met her but I am devastated that she has passed away, she was such an amazing, generous, kind women and a fantastic actress – just a beautiful human being.”
Angela Gray, fundraising manager at Beechwood, says she is deeply saddened by the death of a fantastic patron, who also became a friend.
Angela said: “Morag was one of those people who could light up a room the minute she entered, it didn’t matter how she was feeling, she just wanted to make everyone around her feel better.
“The last time she came to Beechwood, she was really struggling with her health, but not one of our patients knew that as she gave them time and encouragement, exuding her warmth. She had a heart of gold.
“Beechwood will miss this amazing lady as our patron and several of us will miss her as the true friend she became. Our thoughts are with her husband, Tim, the rest of her family and her friends.”
The actress, who was originally from Edinburgh, had a very successful acting career following her time at Sylvia Young Theatre School and RADA, from her first break in Memphis Belle to appearing in West End Theatre productions like Hamlet and musicals such as Les Miserables and Mamma Mia, as well as TV shows like Coronation Street, Monarch of the Glen, Emmerdale and Casualty to radio shows, commercials and pop music videos.
Tributes have also been pouring in from her friends on her Facebook page – describing her as an ‘incredible actress’ and a ‘wonderful human being who was inspirational, funny and feisty’.