Glasgow comedian Janey Godley dies aged 63

The 63-year-old had been receiving palliative care following a terminal diagnosis of ovarian cancer. She first shared her diagnosis in 2021, undergoing multiple rounds of chemotherapy that initially brought hope before doctors informed her this year that the cancer had returned and spread.

Reflecting on the difficult journey, she told The Times: “The worst part was having to tell Ashley. She has always been a catastrophiser; telling her was like throwing a hand grenade.” She described the end-of-life stage as “devastating news,” while also acknowledging, “we all come to an end sometime.”

Godley had jokingly told her daughter how to cope with her worsening health. She said: “I tell Ashley that she is likely to feel a sense of relief once it’s finally done and I'm dead: no more chemo, no more hair loss, no more vomiting, no more worry.”

"It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our client Doctor Janey Godley on 2nd November," her agent said on Saturday.

"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 voice overs of Nicola Sturgeon during the pandemic, her hilarious and outspoken comedy, but most of all for just being 'Janey'."

In September, she cancelled her autumn tour due to her stage four ovarian cancer, which had been treated over the last few years, but had returned with added complications.

Born on January 20 1961 as the youngest of four children, Godley was raised in Shettleston in the East End of Glasgow, and attended Eastbank Academy.

She left school aged 16 with no qualifications, but went on to become a highly renowned comedian, first starting her career in the business in 1994.

Godley performed stand-up around the world, including in New York and New Zealand, and was a regular co-presenter on BBC Radio 4’s Loose Ends, as well as fronting BBC Radio 4 series The C Bomb.

Having regularly performed at the Edinburgh Fringe, she won the Fringe Report Award after being crowned best performer at the 2008 festival.

She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in November 2021 but later returned to touring and told how comedian Jimmy Carr encouraged her to continue performing despite her diagnosis.

In a March 2024 episode of ITV’s Lorraine, Godley said: “The year before last, before I got into the tour, I was told that the cancer had come back.

“So, I decided to cancel the tour, and my mate Jimmy Carr said, ‘Is your mouth not working?’ I went, ‘Yeah, my mouth works’ and he said, ‘Well get back on tour.’

“And I thought, he’s right. What am I going to do? Sit in the house and draw wee cats?”

She added: “I have so much on that I keep forgetting that I have a terminal diagnosis.”

Her daughter BBC Radio Scotland presenter Ashley Storrie confirmed in October that Godley was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University Of Glasgow, something she said had “brought her so much joy in the final beats of her life”.

One of her influences was Sir Billy Connolly, a fellow, highly successful, Scottish comedian.

In a memoir published in 2024 titled Janey: The Woman That Won’t Shut Up, she recalled meeting Billy.

Godley said: “Billy and I chatted for over an hour. I managed to calm down, and tried hard not to gabble and talk utter shite.

“He has a way of putting you at ease – he is such a warm, genuinely lovely man.”

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

Godley appeared in a number of TV shows, including River City and Have I Got News For You, and in the film Wild Rose.

In 2020, she wrote and starred in a number of short films titled Alone about a woman whose abusive husband had recently died of coronavirus.

Godley recently said she had accomplished everything she had ever wanted in life, stating in her 2024 memoir: “People keep asking me have you got a bucket list… there isn’t anything I haven’t done.

“I don’t want to jump out of a f****** helicopter or climb a mountain… I’ve done everything I want to do.”