Fans raise £50,000 for Emmerdale actress diagnosed with terminal lung cancer

Earlier this week we reported that former Emmerdale star Leah Bracknell revealed that she has terminal lung cancer.

The actress, who played Zoe Tate in the soap from 1989 to 2005, revealed her condition Thursday (October 6).

A fundraising page was set up to help raise money for the costs where Bracknell revealed that just weeks ago she was feeling “fit and healthy” but “the universe had other plans.”

“I began to feel breathless climbing stairs… I just put it down to a bit of stress.”

Since news of her condition spread, fans have managed to raise a whopping £50,000 in just two days, according to the Evening Standard.

Bracknell has since thanked fans for their help on the fundraising page by writing, “What an incredible response, thank you all so much!”

“We’re in deep gratitude from the bottom of our hearts. We really didn’t expect such a dramatic reaction when we put the post up on Facebook a couple days ago.”

“We’ve reached our initial target which means Leah will be able to visit and stay at the clinic for the first batch of treatment.”

They ended the post by writing, “The amount of support and love has also been amazing and I know is having a positive affect. We believe in the power of collective intention and the power of human spirit to heal. Thank you all again, for being part of this story.”

Zoe Tate was the first lesbian character to come out in a British soap. The character is one of the longest serving LGBT soap characters, and Zoe widely praised for her portrayal of the character.

Her character also lived with Schizophrenia, helping to start conversations about mental health through the show as well as LGBT rights.

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