Dame Julie Walters raises health concerns as legendary actress pulls out of new drama Truelove, five years after bowel cancer diagnosis
It was the script that tempted her out of retirement.
But now concerns have been raised about the health of Dame Julie Walters, as it has been revealed that she has pulled out of the Channel 4 drama Truelove.
The 73-year-old actress, who was previously diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer in 2018, was replaced by Lindsay Duncan, months after filming was halted due to severe back pain.
Creators Charlie Covell and Iain Weatherby said their departure had left them ‘sad’.
In a statement, producer Clerkenwell Films said: “Last year, filming on Truelove was halted while Julie Walters sought medical attention and attention for severe back pain.
Health issues: Concerns have been raised over the health of Dame Julie Walters as it was revealed that she has withdrawn from the Channel 4 drama Truelove
“Subsequently, Julie has decided to take a step back from the project to focus on her recovery, so she will not return to the role of Phil.
“We wholeheartedly support his decision, and the entire cast, crew and production team wish him the best and a speedy recovery.” They said they are “delighted” to welcome Ms Duncan to play the “complex and captivating” Phil.
Exclusive images obtained by the Mail in June last year showed the actress helping co-star Karl Johnson’s character Tom end his life on a boat at Clevedon Marine Lake in North Somerset.
The pair were seen kissing before Clarke Peters placed a blue plastic bag over Johnson’s head.
Truelove, which follows three retired friends who come together and make a pact to engineer a dignified death, would have marked Dame Julie’s first major television project in six years after she was rid of cancer.
“I had basically retired from acting…but then I read Truelove,” she said.
“My jaw dropped at the writing: the dark humor, the love story, and the element of suspense against a backdrop of what happens to all of us as we approach our later years.”
The veteran actor, famous for his roles in Harry Potter, Educating Rita and Mamma Mia! franchise, opened up about his shock cancer diagnosis in 2020.
Role: The actress, 73, who was previously diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer in 2018, was replaced by Lindsay Duncan, months after filming was halted because of severe back pain.
Speaking on Victoria Derbyshire’s BBC2 show, Dame Julie said she thought the doctors had made a mistake when they told her she had only seen her GP for indigestion and a “slight discomfort”.
A CT scan and colonoscopy found two primary tumors in his large intestine. They told him that he had stage three cancer, as it had spread to nearby lymph nodes.
A 12-inch section of his colon was removed and he was given a course of chemotherapy tablets.
Dame Julie was filming The Secret Garden when she was diagnosed, with a body double used in some scenes to replace her.
He kept the diagnosis secret by blaming his absence on a ruptured hernia.
He said he felt “like a different person” after recovering and being cleared in February 2020.