Concern for Julie Walters as she pulls out of filming Channel 4 drama amid health fears
IT was the script that tempted her out of retirement.
But now concerns have been raised over Dame Julie Walters’s health as it was revealed she has pulled out of shooting a new Channel 4 drama.
The actress, 73, who was previously diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer in 2018, has been replaced by Lindsay Duncan, months after filming of Truelove was initially halted over her severe back pain.
Truelove, which follows three retired friends who reunite and make a pact to engineer a dignified death, would have marked Dame Julie’s first major TV project in six years following her all clear from cancer.
‘I had basically withdrawn from acting... but then I read Truelove,’ she said. ‘I was bowled over by the writing – the dark humour and the love story set against a backdrop of what happens to us all as we approach our later years.’
The acting veteran, famed for roles in Harry Potter, Educating Rita and the Mamma Mia! franchise, opened up about her shock cancer diagnosis in 2020.
In a statement, producer Clerkenwell Films said: ‘Last year, filming on Truelove was paused while Julie Walters sought medical advice and attention for severe back pain.
‘Subsequently, Julie has decided to step back from the project to focus on her recovery and recuperation, and so will not be returning to the role of Phil. We wholeheartedly support her decision and wish her a speedy recovery.’