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FORMER EMMERDALE STAR Leah Bracknell has died three years after being diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer.
The actress, who played Zoe Tate on the ITV soap for 16 years until 2005, died in September at the age of 55.
She also had roles in Judge John Deed, A Touch of Frost, The Royal Today and DCI Banks to name just a few, as well as numerous appearances on stage and in pantomime.
A statement from her manager, on behalf of Bracknell’s family, said: “They would like to thank all the public for their support and generosity which contributed to the extension and quality of her life over the past three years.
“Leah continued to embrace life and faced her illness with positivity. Many aspects of her journey can be found on her blog – somethingbeginningwithc.com.
Leah had an energy and enthusiasm for life, a kind heart and much love to give to those around her.
“Her family have asked for privacy at this very sad time.”
John Whiston, managing director of continuing drama and head of ITV in the north, said in a statement: “Everyone on Emmerdale is very sad to hear of the death of Leah Bracknell. Leah was a hugely popular member of the Emmerdale cast for over 16 years.
“During that time she featured in some of the show’s most high-profile and explosive plots and always delivered a pitch perfect performance.
Zoe Tate was one of soap’s first lesbian characters and Leah made sure the character was both exciting and credible.
“Leah herself was a very generous and caring colleague, much loved by cast and crew alike.”
Diagnosis
Bracknell’s cancer diagnosis came to light in October 2016 when her husband Jez Hughes launched a GoFundMe page to raise money for her to undergo treatment overseas, due to a lack of options available on the NHS.
The former soap star had been diagnosed in September after rapid weight gain around her abdomen and breathlessness prompted her to seek medical help.
After Bracknell was diagnosed, fans helped her raise more than £50,000 to undergo groundbreaking treatment in Germany.
She started taking new medication, but later revealed that it had failed.
Bracknell has appeared in public numerous times over the past three years, discussing living with cancer and talking openly about her numerous methods to ease her symptoms, and she wrote about her experiences on her blog, Something Beginning With C.
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watch the package size shrink along with the rebranding
@DeWitt: that’s what she said disappointingly
But its rice… if it was a stereotype he’d be Asian
@thomas patrick: true
@thomas patrick: so get what you’re saying but this is more of an American history thing. Basically they are updating their very outdated brand
They’ll be coming for Chef’s Brown sauce next.
is today april 1st by any chance?
Yet the “Black Jack” sweets still survive after all these years.
@Gavin McKenna: Only because they were rebranded to drop the golliwog mascot many years ago.
@Kevin Collins:loyns tea
The world’s gone mad!
@Dominick Lodola: It’s the rebranding of a rice packet by a company concerned with their public image and profits. Hardly the world going mad. Calm yourself down.
@Dominick Lodola: if you think that’s “mad” just wait until November
What a load of ball ox
What’s wrong with Eskimo Pie ice cream? Do the Eskimos find it insulting?
@Gareth Keenan: “Do the Eskimos find it insulting?”
That’s not how this works. A bunch of white, middle class progressives will get offended on behalf of some ethnic group (without ever consulting said group) and it snowballs from there through social media and the usual bandwagon hoppers.
The family of the original Aunt Jemima were actually quite annoyed when Quaker Oats decided to remove their ancestor’s image from their products but they were not consulted on the matter.
@Gareth Keenan: Eskimo is a racial slur to Inuits. Yes, they do find it insulting.
@Gareth Keenan: it probably isn’t the pies, but its the term Eskimo, innuit.
:-)
I feel for the Man Eating Shark.
How will they deal with the name change?
I always knew their rice tasted kinda racist. It comes out of the box all white too
#BlackRiceMatters
Jesus Christ what next…..
I watched Blazing Saddles last night. Am I in trouble.
Madness.com
When I was a kid in the 70’s, there was an ice cream called a “Golly Bar”, complete with a stereotypical image of a black persons head with a big curly Afro. think HB made them. Obviously that bar is discontinued and rebranded. We need to move with the times and sensitivities of our age.
@Paul Whitehead: yep, I remember those.
They dropped the name in only 1992.
@Paul Whitehead: The Golly bar image was a cartoonish caricature and a racial stereotype and certainly had to go but the Uncle Ben’s logo is based on a real man named Frank Brown. The name ‘Uncle Ben’ came from an African American rice grower.
There’s a world of difference between the two logos.
@Will: Completely agree, rather than having a graduated approach which removes the tiny minority of clear racial prejudice in corporate branding, snowflakes seem to be offended by everything and corporations are searching for prejudice that doesn’t exist.
@Fintan Mac Giolla Pharic: what’s even more comical are the true “snowflakes” on here who are offended by a company making this change. Why does it upset you so much? It’s just a logo, it doesn’t actually mean anything. Is that why you guys are so angry all the time? Too much energy spent on being offended by everything?
@Paul Whitehead:
There’s a save the gollywog page on Facebook with 110k followers, all middle aged white brits unsurprisingly!
Be like the Black Board now it’s The White Board …. Insanity at its best !
Ara feck it, I’ll just have the noodles or chips thanks.
I’m getting worried of getting my nice tan every summer…. I’m afraid I’ll hurt anyone with my mediterranean stereotype….
For F!!!ks sake
Uncle Roger will be so angry with this that he’ll put his leg down from chair
@El Grogan: haiyaaaaaa
Next to go – Ginger Nuts
@Vincent Cahill: nah , seems it’s still ok to slag gingers! Poor Bs
Justice 4 gingers
On to the next movement now.
Please tell me the milky bar kid is safe?
ffs next thing they will remove the workd back from the dictionary
Is rice a black stereotype? Or was the problem that he was wearing a suit? I don’t really get the need for this change but hey, I guess it’s good free PR for the company
Aunt Jemima is next
It’s funny they seem to be removing all the ethnic characters and logos from Products. It doesn’t really bother me either way, but I can just imagine in a few years time there will be a clamour to introduce a more diverse image for these products. There was a meme going around last month about the Land o Lakes butter (I think that was the name of it) where they got rid of the Native American and kept the land.
No more Mr rice guy
Old news about name being changed. This tack was floated during the black lives matter campaign
If its white its all right!!!
What a load of nonsense .
If anything, Uncle Bens gave us a great moment on The Sopranos!!!!
The world is gone crazy
Simply ridiculous
I’d say the point is lost on the commentators.
sticks and stones will brake your bones but names will never hurt you.
Get a grip everyone.
have your say