Craig Cash fights back tears recalling night Caroline Aherne rang him to 'say goodbye' after taking overdose

Craig Cash was in tears as he remembered the moment The Royle Family creator Caroline Aherne called him to say goodbye after taking an overdose.

Cash was Aherne's on-screen partner in The Royle Family, while he also succeeded her in the role of narrator on Gogglebox after she died from lung cancer in 2016.

At Christmas this year the BBC showed a special documentary honouring her life and work Caroline Aherne: Queen of Comedy, with Craig Cash being one of many stars to speak about her.

While many of the guests praised Aherne for her comedy, Cash did recount some of the more difficult parts of her life.

This included the time he got a phone call from her where she told him she'd had an overdose.

In the 90s Aherne suffered from depression and ended up going to The Priory, with Cash telling the documentary about the call he got from her.

He said: "It was like the middle of the night.

Mick Hutson/Redferns/Getty

"She was in London and I was in Manchester. I was in bed and the phone rang, and, she was saying goodbye.

"She just said 'I love you and I'm sorry. I'm going, I've taken an overdose'."

Cash then told the documentary how he said to Aherne that she needed to make herself sick, and he then rang her mum to tell her about the phone call.

Aherne's mum then called an ambulance for her daughter, and Cash said that paramedics 'broke the door down and got her in time'.

The Royle Family star also remembered another heartbreaking call he received from Aherne years later, when she rang to tell him she was dying and didn't have long to live.

BBC

"I just kept saying 'no', just kept repeating 'no' for some, you know," Cash said.

"There's a lot to be said for denial, and she was like 'we had some laughs though, didn't we Cashy'."

At this point the tears started flowing for the comedian and actor, who apologised and stepped away from the cameras.

Viewers of Caroline Aherne: Queen of Comedy found Cash's interviews to be among the most affecting moments of an emotional documentary.

Those who watched the show said Cash 'had me in bits' while others thanked him for being part of the documentary.

Someone else wrote: "If there is a nicer man on this planet than Craig Cash I'd like to meet him."

Topics: BBC, TV and Film, Celebrity

Joe Harker

Joe graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Journalism and worked for Reach before joining the LADbible Group. When not writing he enjoys the nerdier things in life like painting wargaming miniatures and chatting with other nerds on the internet. He's also spent a few years coaching fencing. Contact him via [email protected]

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