UPDATE: Cornelia Frances’ poignant last words about her cancer battle in final interview
Cornelia Frances spoke about the pain she was suffering while battling cancer in her final interview before she passed away on Tuesday.
The beloved Australian actress - who died surrounded by her loved ones - bravely said she was feeling “fine” during an interview with A Current Affair from her hospital bed in February.
Cornelia's last interview has re-emerged after the actress, known for her roles in Home and Away, Prisoner and Sons and Daughters, died age 77.
Diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2017 before being told it had spread to her hip, Cornelia is just like her TV personas – strong and determined to fight.
In an interview from her hospital bed, Cornelia told A Current Affair she was determined to fight the disease.
“It’s a hard road but we’ll get there,” she said.
“I’m feeling fine, albeit what’s inside me. The pain comes and goes but that’s par for the course. We’re going to fight this, by God, I am.”
In a twist of fate, Frances is being treated at the Sydney hospital which was used as the set for the fictional Albert Memorial Hospital in Young Doctors.
She played villainous Sister Scott, the role that propelled her to fame in the 1970s.
In her interview, Frances laughingly said being a patient is “a different thing altogether”.
She appeared positive as she joked that her looks made her the perfect candidate for “evil” characters.
“Take a look at the face — red hair, green eyes. Very strong. I’ve always played the strong ladies.”
She described her long career as “a wonderful road” and said she had “loved every minute”.
Cornelia first revealed her health battle to The Daily Telegraph last month and described how she almost died due to her cancer.
“I discovered I had bladder cancer. This then spread to my hip bone which fractured, and then I almost died from loss of blood due to an ulcer in my throat. Despite all this, I am still here, as the old song goes.”
She said if it were not for the work of incredible surgeons and the love of her son, Lawrence, she would never have made it.
“When I got the ulcer in my throat, I did truly believe that this time my luck had finally run out,” Cornelia said.