The Big C

‘IT was Ruth Picardie who started the rather gruesome trend of dying in public as she recorded her ultimately vain battle with cancer in the pages of a national newspaper.

Nell complained that the uniform provided for her in Iraq was a bit skimpy

Nigella Lawson’s late husband John Diamond did likewise and for a while it seemed that Fleet Street was populated exclusively by men and women furiously tapping away at their keyboards and racing to beat a deadline imposed by The Grim Reaper.

Thankfully, life expectancy among The Fourth Estate is now back to what it was before, namely time enough to finish one’s pint and smoke the rest of one’s packet of B&H.

But cancer is very much still with us and ”model and TV personality” Nell McAndrew has taken time out of her busy schedule to be beside her father Ted, who was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer three months ago.

And she invited Hello! along to catch up with father and daughter at the Wood Hall Hotel & Spa near Leeds.

There we learn that Nell and boyfriend Paul are determined that this year Ted and Nell’s mother Nancy ”will do nothing more strenuous than pull a cracker or open a box of chocolates”.

Both of which carry obvious risks themselves, although nothing compared with Nell’s recent trip to Iraq when she was almost forced to share a toilet with some squaddies.

Brrrrr! It sends shivers down our spine just thinking about it…’

Posted: 19th, December 2003 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink