Cathy Godbold rose to fame as Meg Bowman in Home And Away, before appearing in hit TV programmes including Neigbours and The Saddle Club before her tragic death
The role of Meg Bowman that Cathy Godbold played in the well-known Australian soap opera Home And Away is warmly recalled.
Her character’s brief appearance in 1992 has remained one of the soap opera’s most famous plotlines throughout its existence, and many viewers still recall her character’s leaving.
Later, she had appearances in shows including The Saddle Club and Neighbours.
But in a cruel turn of events, Cathy received a cancer diagnosis, altering her life in a way that was similar to what happened to her on-screen persona.
The celebrity would also experience a painful loss of her own before passing away, as a member of her family passed away from the illness.
Character’s heartbreaking death
Cathy first gained notoriety in 1992 as Meg Bowman on the popular Australian serial opera Home and Away.
She developed a lovely romance with Blake Dean while she was working on the serial, but heartache would soon follow.
Her character had a leukemia diagnosis the same year, and in devastating scenes, Meg passed away while watching the sunrise with her boyfriend Blake.
One of the most heartbreaking but enduring events in Home And Away’s history is reportedly Meg’s departure from the serial opera.
She then went on to play Sondra Pike in Neighbours in 1997. In this role, she was a part of plot lines like the well-known love triangle she had with Darren Starke and Libby Kennedy.
Brain cancer diagnosis
At the age of 32, Cathy received a brain tumor diagnosis in 2007.
The celebrity at the time was playing journalist Deborah Hale in The Saddle Club, but she announced her departure from the program after receiving her diagnosis.
It was a dreadful shock to learn I was ill, the actress remarked in a statement at the time.
“I have a far higher chance of beating it because I am young and healthy,” she continued.
“I’m resisting this,” I want to get well so I can resume working as soon as I can.
After that, Cathy received treatment at a hospital in Melbourne that included radiotherapy, chemotherapy, surgery to remove the brain tumor, and other procedures.
According to reports, the celebrity’s ailment prevented her from working for a number of years.
She was later determined to be in remission and cancer-free after the treatment.
“Robbed of memories”
Cathy’s cancer reappeared in 2017, more than 10 years after the initial diagnosis.
The celebrity was admitted to the hospital for a broken foot, and while she was there, doctors told Cathy that she had terminal brain cancer.
Her stepfather Ross Mitchell disclosed to the Daily Telegraph that the cancer had returned in the same location and that it was both impossible to treat and, most definitely, impossible to operate on.
It advanced at a very, very rapid pace—much faster than anyone had anticipated.
The actress recently shared on Facebook that she had been diagnosed with her second cancer and that it had impacted her memory.
In a moving message, Cathy revealed that she was unable to recall her most well-known roles, including that of Meg from Home and Away.
She replied on a video of her character leaving the soap opera in 1992 by saying, “I have no memory of those days owing to the real (not fictional) cancer!”
When Coldplay CDs were played, Cathy would frequently sit and dance in her hospital bed, according to her close friend Sally Browne. She maintained her positive attitude throughout the last few weeks of her life.
“Cathy was a great, young woman and a very accomplished young actress,” she told 9News.
But finally, like all brain tumors, it took over, and the outcome was absolutely awful, tragic.
There were also some lovely, touching moments because we were reading to her from her scrapbooks, Sally continued.
Mother’s health battle
Prior to Cathy’s cancer diagnosis, her mother, Australian TV and radio host Rosemary Margan, started her own battle with the illness.
Rosemary passed away in December 2017 at the age of 80, more than 17 years after her cancer diagnosis and 10 years after her daughter was also diagnosed with cancer.
Following Cathy’s passing, her close friend Sally Browne said the following to 9News Australia: “It was a truly awful scenario when she (Cathy) was informed that (the second tumour) was incurable.
“She was in the hospital and missed her mother.
“When a person that young loses a battle, it is always tragic. A nice conclusion would be for her to be back in her mother’s arms, if there is any god.”
Tragic death
Cathy passed away on May 4, 2018, six months after the passing of her mother. She was 43 years old.
Fans and friends paid tribute to the famous actress when she passed away, with many recalling her appearances in Home And Away.
One supporter stated: “Meg’s climactic sequence on the beach in Home and Away is still fresh in my mind. Goodbye, Cathy Godbold.”
“R.I.P., lovely and gifted Cathy Godbold. Considering her friends and family, “added another. A third admirer showed respect by stating: “This news makes me very sad. 43-year-old former Home and Away actress Cathy Godbold passed away. She embodied Meg. Her love story with Blake will always be memorable to me.”
“Oh my, what horrible news. In the past, when Cathy Godbold played Meg on Home And Away, I really liked her “a fourth said.
Later, the star was buried in Melbourne, Australia’s Springvale Cemetery.
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