Tony Audenshaw has revealed the note his late wife Ruth left him as he plans to fulfil her dying wish. 

The Emmerdale star, 60, who has Bob Hope in the popular soap for more than 20 years, sadly lost his wife in 2017 following her diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in 2015.

Before her pᴀssing, Ruth had left Tony a message that said if he was to run the London Marathon again, she’d like him to do it for the charity Pancreatic Cancer UK.

Tony has run the marathon 15 times but stopped taking part after Ruth got diagnosed with the ᴅᴇᴀᴅly disease. 

He is now hoping to fulfill her wish as he is set to take part in the event this year on what would have been the couple’s 24th wedding anniversary.

The soap star plans to raise money to help develop new diagnostic tests for pancreatic cancer, which could save thousands of lives.  

Tony Audenshaw has revealed the note his late wife Ruth left him as he plans to fulfil her dying wish

The Emmerdale star, 60, who has Bob Hope in the popular soap for more than 20 years, sadly lost his wife in 2017 following her diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in 2015

Speaking about his decision to take part, he told PA news agency: ‘It just felt right.

‘She left all her friends and family a card to read after she died, and in it she said, ‘if you run London again, will you do it for pancreatic cancer?’.

‘She also then added something like, ‘no pressure, if you don’t fancy it don’t’ – which is very Ruth’.

It comes after Tony opened up about Ruth’s cancer battle before she died at the age of 43.

He appeared on This Morning back in 2022 to raise awareness about pancreatic cancer, and give advice on how to spot it early. 

He said: ‘With pancreatic cancer, over half the people die within three months of diagnosis. 

‘It’s been the case since the 70s it’s really been left behind regarding funding.’ 

Tony explained that Ruth’s tumour was initially said to be ‘inoperable’, but they managed to find a doctor in Germany who was able to operate.

Before her pᴀssing, Ruth had left Tony a message that said if he was to run the London Marathon again, she’d like him to do it for the charity Pancreatic Cancer UK

He is now hoping to fulfill her wish as he is set to take part in the event this year on what would have been the couple’s 24th wedding anniversary

The soap star plans to raise money to help develop new diagnostic tests for pancreatic cancer, which could save lives

Read More Emmerdale’s Tony Audenshaw details how he and his late wife Ruth lived life like they were ‘retired’ after her terminal cancer diagnosis

However, tragically the couple then discovered two months later that the cancer had spread.

He explained: ‘Part of the thing when you have surgery is that you can’t have chemotherapy for a little while because, obviously chemotherapy kills the good cells as well as the bad cells, so while it was all clinging together, some cells got loose.

‘It was quite devastating, because it was probably two months after the operation that we found out it had spread already.’

Despite the heartbreaking diagnosis, the pair tried to remain positive and made the decision to ‘live life like you are retired’.

Tony said: ‘Ruth went on her last harsh chemotherapy and there were days when she was really tired and couldn’t do much, but on the days where she felt good, she was doing stuff.

It comes after Tony opened up about Ruth’s cancer battle before she died at the age of 43

‘She met up with friends, she carried on cycling because she loved cycling and it was a case of not being stuck in the hospital all the time or going for appointments all the time, getting out on that bike and feeling the wind on her hair.

‘It was just brilliant, we did loads of stuff, we went on loads of breaks and when she was well enough, we did things.’

Holly Willoughby chimed in to say: ‘I’m so sorry that you lost her in your life. She sounds like an amazing lady, that’s for sure.’

Tony replied: ‘Yeah, she was ace.’

WHAT IS PANCREATIC CANCER?

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal forms of the disease, and around 95 per cent of people who contract it die from it.  

Joan Crawford, Patrick Swayze and Luciano Pavarotti all died of pancreatic cancer.

It is the sixth most common cause of cancer death in the UK – around 10,000 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year in the UK, alongside about 55,000 in the US.

WHAT IS THE CAUSE?

It is caused by the abnormal and uncontrolled growth of cells in the pancreas – a large gland in the digestive system.

WHO HAS THE HIGHEST RISK?

Most cases (90 per cent) are in people over the age of 55.

Around half of all new cases occur in people aged 75 or older.

One in 10 cases are attributed to genetics.

Other possible causes include age, smoking and other health conditions, including diabetes.

WHY IS IT SO LETHAL?

There is no screening method for pancreatic cancer. 

Pancreatic cancer typically does not show symptoms in the early stages, when it would be more manageable. 

Sufferers tend to start developing the tell-tale signs – jaundice and abdominal pain – around stage 3 or 4, when it has likely already spread to other organs.    

WHAT ARE THE TREATMENT OPTIONS? 

The only effective treatment is removal of the pancreas. 

This proves largely ineffective for those whose cancer has spread to other organs. 

In those cases, palliative care is advised to ease their pain at the end of their life.