KYM MARSH admits she was grief-stricken at losing her beloved dad but believes his spirit is with her every day.
The former Coronation Street actress revealed she was her father David’s “shadow” until his death in January, three years after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
And she often spots little clues that he is watching over her.
One such sign came following David’s appearances on BBC One’s Morning Live, where Kym was a presenter, to talk about living with his illness and warn other men what symptoms to look out for.
He became a favourite with viewers and had a running joke on air with Kym’s co-host Gethin Jones about how he would regularly ask his famous daughter to “lend me a fiver”.
Kym recalls: “Every time Dad came on Morning Live, he would say to Gethin, ‘She’s still not given me that fiver’. It was a constant running joke.
“Shortly after dad passed away, I randomly found a five pound note in my car. I don’t know if people believe in stuff like this but I don’t know how it got there.
“I put that in the coffin with Dad and I said, ‘There you go, Dad, I’ve given you your fiver now’.”
She adds: “Whether you believe in it or not, it’s not wrong to take comfort from something.
“I found a fiver and I thought, ‘That’s my dad’. It gives you something to hold on to and it gives you hope, all those little reminders. Or sometimes I find myself in a moment and I smile to myself about a memory.
“It is holding on to those moments which are so important to me.”
Kym describes with pride how David made it his mission to educate others about prostate cancer.
“Dad did everything he could to raise awareness, to try and save other people’s lives,” she tells me with a smile, as she speaks publicly for the first time since her dad’s death. “That is his legacy.”
While Kym remains composed as she talks so fondly about her father, she confesses life has not been easy without him.
She says: “I will be 48 when this interview comes out. And it’ll be my first birthday without my dad being here with me.
“As a family, we have been finding the firsts quite difficult.
“It was my dad’s birthday, then my mum’s first birthday without dad, then my birthday came around. Then Father’s Day.
“I am fortunate to be around a group of people and have friends who have been so supportive to me. For mum, too, it’s difficult because she is on her own now so I am trying to see her as often as I can.”
Kym took an extended break from Morning Live following her father’s 2021 diagnosis as she struggled with stress-related illness.
The following year, her strength was tested again as she competed on Strictly Come Dancing and found herself gripped by anxiety and panic attacks.
Kym bravely spoke to The Sun about how difficult it had become, but says she has learned some crucial coping techniques.
“When Dad passed away, I had a bad time and my anxiety was very bad,” she explains. “It was like it was biting at my throat the entire time. But I haven’t had an anxiety attack for a while now.
“I do struggle sometimes still, but I recognise it and I take time to deal with those feelings. I have learned to control it.
“I know when my anxiety is flaring up. I take myself away and meditate or just sit and be still.
“I think anxiety is within us all and you just have to learn how to cope with it and deal with it.”
Kym, who is mum to David, 29, Emilie, 26, and Polly, 13, says losing David has driven her family to raise awareness and money for prostate cancer charities.
In April, her son-in-law Mikey Hoszowskyj ran the London Marathon for Prostate Cancer UK.
“Mikey ran it with a fiver in his pocket for Dad,” Kym explains.
“Dad would have been there with him the whole time. I am so proud of Mikey for what he has done.
“We just need to keep people talking about prostate cancer and, crucially, getting checked.”
I think anxiety is within us all and you just have to learn how to cope with it and deal with it.
Kym Marsh
Early diagnosis, Kym explains, is key to tackling the disease head-on.
David held off seeing a doctor during lockdown because he was worried about burdening the under-pressure NHS.
The delay meant that, by the time he was diagnosed, the cancer had advanced and later spread to his bones. Kym is keen to make sure family, friends and the public know the dangers and do not put off seeking medical help.
“I have two older brothers who became more vigilant after Dad’s diagnosis,” she reveals.
“And my son David, he is only 29, but he is aware of it now and he will be making sure he gets checked. The blood test is the most important thing. Get to your doctor and ask for the blood test. It could save your life.
“Men think it can be a bit embarrassing, but the embarrassment needs to go.
“They don’t talk about illnesses and symptoms. They shrug it off and say, ‘I’ll be all right’.
“And there has to be a change. We have to encourage people to speak to their doctors. No matter how uncomfortable it might seem.”
Symptoms of prostate cancer can include:
Source: NHS
David’s ill health has also made Kym think about how important it is for women to check themselves and not miss smear test appointments, which can detect early signs of cervical cancer.
She adds: “A friend of mine wouldn’t go for a cervical smear.
“I said to her, ‘The alternative is far worse’, and it’s the same with prostate cancer.
“I’ve always been very on it with my smears and made sure my daughter and daughter-in-law are the same. They were born two weeks apart and, as soon as they reached the age for screening, I made them go along.
“They were so nervous, so I went in for mine first so they could see there was nothing to be scared of.
“Often it is the unknown when it comes to examinations and tests, but the thought of it is often worse. For the sake of 30 seconds, it can change your life and that is what my dad wanted to get out.
“He wanted people to talk about it. Please tell your husbands, your fathers, your brothers, your uncles, ‘Get the test as it could save your life’. It is that simple.”
For Kym — single after splitting from third husband Scott Ratcliff last May — life is moving on and she has thrown herself into work.
Best known for her 14-year stint as Michelle Connor on Corrie, she is now juggling her role as canteen worker Nicky Walters in BBC drama series Waterloo Road with playing Cruella De Vil in a nationwide stage production of 101 Dalmatians: The Musical.
Speaking to me from a rehearsal space before their first performance on Saturday, Kym says: “My dad would always say to me, ‘You’re a grafter’. I learned that from him. He would always be out working so he could provide for us and look after us. And he gave that to me.
“The work ethic was a big thing for him to pass on and I have done the same with my children. But I love what I do and, if I didn’t love it, I couldn’t do it. I feel like I have been so lucky to have had so many amazing opportunities.”
Kym got her big break in 2001 on ITV talent show Popstars, when she went to a blind audition and was put into the band Hear’Say with Myleene Klass, Suzanne Shaw, Danny Foster and Noel Sullivan.
The group had two No1 singles, including their breakaway hit Pure And Simple, with Kym later launching a solo music career.
“I didn’t want to go to that audition,” Kym says with a laugh. “My mum forced me to do it.
“I had no idea what it was for and I never thought it would lead to anything. I borrowed my friend’s car and we queued for hours outside the old Granada studios in Manchester, which is where Coronation Street was filmed. I had no idea then that the Street would become my home for almost 14 years.”
Her character Michelle was last seen in Weatherfield in 2019, but Kym admits she could imagine herself returning after Emmerdale producer Kate Brooks joined the rival ITV soap this year.
“Kate is such an exciting executive, she is brilliant,” Kym tells me. “I honestly had the best time at Corrie. They gave me the best start. I made friends who will be my friends for ever.
“I like to think, at some point in the future, Michelle would make a return. But I am really enjoying playing different roles at the moment.”
My dad would always say to me, ‘You’re a grafter’. I learned that from him.
Kym Marsh
For now, Kym is relishing stage character Cruella’s evil side.
She says: “Everyone loves the 101 Dalmatians story and this production is amazing. It’s such a family-friendly show and I know people of all ages will love it. I got a taste of being a villain when I played Alex Forrest in Fatal Attraction on stage.
“That is what opened me up to being like, ‘I want to do it again’.
“I absolutely love my dogs and I would want to kill someone if they hurt them, so Cruella is so far removed from who I am. But that is the beauty of it.”
Laughing, Kym adds: “I will be unleashing my evil side. And I can’t wait.”
