Beyond Paradise star opens up on husband’s ‘d.e.a.t.h sentence’ after having 6 weeks to live
EXCLUSIVE: Barbara Flynn has opened up about the heartbreaking reason she is an ambassador for Pancreatic Cancer UK.
Beyond Paradise star Barbara Flynn has opened up about her husband Jeremy Taylor’s heartbreaking d.e.a.t.h from pancreatic cancer and how he died six weeks after he was diagnosed. In an exclusive interview with Reach PLC, Barbara, who is an ambassador for Pancreatic Cancer UK, wants to raise awareness of the horrible disease that took her husband from her.
Barbara and Jeremy initially met in north London when they attended a party in Camden Town. After tying the knot in 1982, the pair welcomed their son Linus in 1990.
However, in July 2017, six weeks after he was diagnosed, Jeremy tragically died. Speaking about why she wanted to become involved with Pancreatic Cancer UK, the actress began: “A lot of people who are involved with pancreatic cancer have had a personal experience with this dreaded disease, and that’s how I became involved.
“My husband was diagnosed in 2017 very late, and the symptoms are quite asymptomatic. That’s the trouble. He always had bad indigestion, but actually, that was how we discovered where he was, and he was very, very far along with the disease.
“This is the main problem that people do not survive, and the research is limited because of that, and in a way, it is a d.e.a.t.h sentence.”
Barbara Flynn opened up about her husband’s d.e.a.t.h (Image: PinPep )
The shoes Barbara is holding are donated on behalf of Barbara and her son in memory of Jeremy (Image: PinPep )
Barbara continued: “You know, people don’t necessarily want to spend their remaining time helping, do you know what I mean? It is a difficult situation.
“He [Jeremy] would have, but he only had six weeks, unfortunately, which was very, very cruel. He didn’t know an awful lot about the disease because he was a science writer and had made very, very many horizons and was scientifically pretty adept.
“So he did know, and he was a very generous man and, therefore, would have shared everything.”
The Beyond Paradise star went on to explain that her late husband did spend a lot of time speaking with Naureen Starling, a doctor at the hospital where Jeremy was treated.
“She couldn’t help him, unfortunately, because it was too late,” Barbara shared. “Any kind of intervention would have killed him. So, no chemo, no nothing, which was devastating for him, and for us.”
Barbara plays Anne Lloyd on Beyond Paradise (Image: BBC)
Since Jeremy’s d.e.a.t.h, Barbara has teamed up with Pancreatic Cancer UK and become an ambassador for the charity. In the lead-up to the London Marathon, the charity has done something very special to highlight and raise awareness of the awful disease.
Pancreatic Cancer UK has unveiled Shoes of Hope, a powerful installation along the River Thames. It highlights the devastating impact of pancreatic cancer ahead of the London Marathon and urges the government to invest in early detection research.
The display at Potters Fields Park features 797 running shoes donated by celebrities, survivors, bereaved families, and supporters, including the trainers of those who have passed away.
Each pair represents the number of lives lost to the disease every month in the UK.
Barbara added, “We just hope that everyone can embrace this amazing, great race that happens. Because we’re honoured to be affiliated with the marathon, and we hope to save as many people as are running in that race.
“That is a wonderful thing to think about, that these shoes are indicating that’s the number of people who die every month.”
