Craig Cash broke down in tears recalling his reaction to Caroline Aherne’s cancer diagnosis.
The late actress and former Gogglebox narrator sadly died in July 2016 at the age of 52, having previously been diagnosed with lung cancer.
Royle Family co-star Craig, 63, was a long-time friend of the comedy star’s and appears in a new documentary about her life.
Titled Caroline Aherne: Comedy Queen, the film airs on Christmas Day on BBC Two.
Chatting to cameras during filming, Craig admitted to being ‘in denial’ when Aherne told him about her terminal illness.
As obtained by The Mirror, Craig reflected on the moment he found out, saying: ‘I just kept saying no, just kept repeating no. But there’s a lot to be said for denial. And she was like, “We had some laughs though didn’t we, Cashy?”
At the time, Aherne had been told she had just two months to live.
Craig – who took over narrating Gogglebox after Aherne died – also reflected on the happy moments he had with her.
Tearing up, the TV star remembered how determined his late pal was to bring The Royle Family to screens, despite initial resistance from BBC bosses over its unconventional format.
‘There was a lot of doubt about it and we felt down,’ Craig reflected. ‘But Caroline would be very resolute. “Nobody’s changing this.” She’d be like, “Telly’s full of people with more confidence than talent.” She gave me confidence. She had this fascination with ordinary people, she’d say all the comedy you want in the world is in the supermarket if you listen.’
Craig added that he and Aherne were forever getting up to mischief and playing pranks.
Reminiscing on how they first met on a Manchester pirate radio station, he said sweetly: ‘We just laughed and laughed all day.’
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Aherne also previously shared that, after meeting Craig that day, she went home and wrote in her diary, ‘I’ve just met the funniest man in the world.’
Despite their highs together, their friendship also hit low points, with Craig revealing Aherne previously rang him in the middle of the night after taking an overdose.
In 1998, Aherne was in London while Craig was in Manchester.
‘She was saying goodbye, really,’ he sobbed in the doc.
‘She just said, “I love ya” and, “I’m sorry, I’m going, I’ve taken an overdose”.’
Craig repeatedly urged her to make herself throw up and called Aherne’s mum, who then rang for an ambulance.
When paramedics arrived, they kicked her front door down.
Aherne later spoke candidly about the frightening ordeal to Sir Michael Parkinson, confessing that, despite writing farewell letters to her loved ones, she had no recollection of taking the pills due to being so drunk.
‘I was devastated that I could have done that.’
Aherne – who was also diagnosed with bipolar – later had several stays at The Priory for rehabilitation.
Alongside Craig’s anecdotes, the upcoming BBC film on Aherne’s life will also feature unseen photographs, footage, and contributions from other Royle Family cast members.
The one-off special will include Steve Coogan, Jon Thompson, and Sue Johnston.
Caroline Aherne: Comedy Queen airs on Christmas Day at 9pm on BBC Two and iPlayer.
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If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with cancer, Macmillan can offer support and information.
You can contact their helpline on 0808 808 00 00 (7 days a week from 8am to 8pm), use their webchat service, or visit their site for more information.
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