How Victoria Wood spent her final days before tragic death at the age of 62 from cancer

he heartbreaking details of how comedy legend Victoria Wood spent her final days were previously revealed, following her untimely death.

The comedy legend sadly passed away in April 2016 aged 62, after a battle with lung cancer. Victoria was best known for her comedy series Victoria Wood: As Seen On TV, as well as her sitcom Dinnerladies.

A few years after her death, pals of Victoria – whose career is celebrated today (December 21) on Victoria Wood: The Secret List – shed light on her final days.

The comedian died nearly 10 years ago (Credit: SplashNews.com)

Victoria Wood’s final days revealed

In Jasper Rees’ 2020 authorised biography Let’s Do It, Victoria’s friends spoke about the final chapter of her life.

It is understood that Victoria spent her last days at her home in Highgate, North London. There she was cared for by her two adult children, Grace and Henry, sister Rosalind, and also close friend Piers Wenger.

Before she was allowed home for palliative care, Victoria was visited by Dame Julie Walters in hospital in 2016. According to Julie, she found Victoria to be in a state of “determined denial”.

She explained: “Vic said: ‘I just need to get this managed – the pain. And then I’m going to write something.’ They were sending her home to die in fact, but she wasn’t going home to die.”

Julie, who became pals with Victoria during their student days, added: “It was her way of dealing with it. Otherwise you have to face, okay, this is the end. She didn’t want to do that.”

She spent her final days coming up with a sketch (Credit: BBC)

Victoria came up with final sketch

Victoria’s friend Piers also shared that they often watched repeats of the BBC cooking show MasterChef in batches of three.

Piers then left the comedian in the care of her sister, Rosalind, and they spent time listening to Radio 3. Victoria also liked to listen to the birdsong from outside after asking for the window to be opened at her home.

What’s more, while spending time with her sister, Victoria also apparently came up with a sketch idea about her sock drawer.

“I was cursing that I couldn’t record it. It was absolutely hilarious,” Rosalind said about the sketch.

Victoria was ‘joking’ night before death

Meanwhile, in a separate interview with The Sun, a friend of Victoria’s spoke about the night before she passed away.

“She was sat up in bed talking and joking at 11pm with her family around her, but the next morning she died,” they said.

They added: “It has shocked the family but she dealt with it in her own way. She always knew what she wanted and liked to be in control. She handled the cancer the same way.”

Watch Victoria Wood:The Secret List on Sunday (December 21) at 8:00pm on BBC Two.

Read more: BBC’s six-part series of Victoria Wood’s work