Brave Sam battles on despite cancer shock
ACTRESS Sam Womack mn revealed on Tuesday — the e day the death of Olivia Newton- John wa s announced — that she is s starting her own battle with h breast cancer.
Womack said she planned to continue in her role as the White Witch in The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, which opened to rave reviews at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in the West End last month, and is running until January. Understudy Rachel Dawson will take over if the star needs s time off for treatment.
It’s a physically demanding part, with Womack, 49, being hoisted up at one point so she can ‘fly’ over the audience — a particular challenge during this scorching summer. ‘I feel like a little baked potato up there,’ she joked. ‘Sometimes I’m absolutely draped in fake fur... shoulder pads and wigs and flying... and the heat at the top of the auditorium is otherworldly.
‘I am OK with heights. That’s never been one of my phobias. When it’s not 45 degrees, it’s a really pleasant place to be.’
Womack has two children, Lili and Benji, with former husband Mark Womack, who appears in Emmerdale. They split up four years ago, but have carried on living together.
For the past two years she has been dating actor Oliver Farnworth, 40. Womack reveals that the three of them now form a ‘blended parenting unit’ — dividing their time between homes in Bedfordshire and Liverpool.
She explains: ‘We have worked very hard at creating our situation. It’s not that traditional — we do all spend lots of time together. Mark often stays at the house [in Bedfordshire]; or Oli and I stay with him in Liverpool. Oli and Mark really get on. It is nice. I think Mark and I came to the same place at the same time, so it’s probably easier for us to stay friends. I know it’s not always possible, if someone is in pain or hurting. But we just really enjoy our friendship.’
Daughter Lili, 17, is studying music at LIPA in Liverpool while Benji, 20, is a university student. Womack recently bought a house in Valencia, Spain, which she intends to be her principal residence with Farnsworth when she isn’t working.
She said: ‘My ex-husband is an actor, so the three of us trying to get our schedules together can be quite challenging. But on the plus side, we’re all incredibly understanding of the fact that sometimes we just need to drop things and run to a job.
‘Coming out of the pandemic, we were so desperate to remind ourselves that there was an industry. It felt very frightening for all of us, for different reasons. We were all very grateful to get back to work, because it was a hair-raising two or three years.’