Emmerdale actor to fulfil wife’s dying wish to run marathon for cancer charity Emmerdale actor Tony Audenshaw will fulfil his wife’s dying wish by running the TCS London Marathon to raise money to develop a new diagnostic test for pancreatic cancer which could save thousands of lives.
Audenshaw, who has played Bob Hope for 25 years, last ran the London Marathon in 2015, but said “it just felt right” to return to support the event’s charity of the year, Pancreatic Cancer UK, on what would have been the couple’s 24th wedding anniversary.
The actor, who turned 60 in January, said Ruth “was a really kind, fun, capable person” who started running in her thirties and ran eight marathons – including a personal best of three hours, 53 minutes and 54 seconds at London in 2006 – as well as two ultras of 40 miles and 56 miles.
Seven hundred runners have already signed up to fundraise towards Pancreatic Cancer UK’s £2 million target to develop a breath test which could catch the disease earlier and increase the chances of life-saving treatment.
“She left all her friends and family a card to read after she died, and in it she said ‘if you run London again will you do it for pancreatic cancer?
