A woman who inspired comedian Peter Kay to return to the stage after a long absence has sadly died. Laura Nuttall who was going through an extensive ‘bucket list’ after being diagnosed with aggressive brain cancer has passed away, her devastated mum said.
Laura, aged 23, was given just a year to live in 2018 after doctors found she had glioblastoma multiforme, the most aggressive form of brain cancer. But in a story which inspired thousands she refused to let it stop her - and carried out a host of her ambitions.
But now her mum Nicola has taken to twitter and given the bad news this morning. She said: “I’m heartbroken to share the news that we lost our beautiful Laura in the early hours of this morning. She was fierce & tenacious to the end & it was truly the honour of my life to be her mum.
“We are devastated at the thought of life without our girl, she was a force of nature. “ Laura, from Barrowford, Lancashire, met Michelle Obama, command a Royal Navy ship, graduate from university and present the weather on BBC North West Tonight.
In 2021, comedian Peter Kay, who worked with Ms Nuttall’s father, played his first gigs in four years to raise money for her treatment. Tickets for the 3,500 capacity venue sold out within 30 minutes and at the time Nicola said: “We’re so excited about it. And it’s so wonderful he can do this for us, just incredible. He just called up out of the blue and said, ‘How can I help?’”
Ms Nuttall’s mother, Nicola, and father, Mark, first met Kay when they were working at Granada Television almost two decades ago and said they received an unexpected call from the star in January 2019 after Laura was diagnosed.
Jack Morris, the chairman of trustees at the Brain Tumour Charity, said they were “so proud of everything she achieved” and “so honoured to have been able to call her a much-adored friend and ambassador”.
“Since her diagnosis in 2018, Laura was steadfast in her determination to share her story to raise vital awareness of glioblastomas, their devastating impact and the need for greater investment in research,” he said.
He added that in the face of “such an impossibly difficult diagnosis at such a young age”, Ms Nuttall had carried herself with “so much grit and compassion [and] so often with a beaming smile” and her determination to “live life to the full never failed to inspire everyone she met”.
Ms Nuttall graduated from university in 2022, four years after receiving her terminal diagnosis. Many people have paid tribute to her on social media, including comedian Diane Morgan, who had previously recorded a message of support.
