Coronation Street icon Kym Marsh says dad's prostate cancer diagnosis "broke" family

Coronation Street icon and TV presenter Kym Marsh has spoken of how her father's prostate cancer diagnosis "broke" her family. The star said the "heartbreaking" news inspired her continued efforts to raise awareness of the illness in a bid to encourage people to get checked sooner.

Kym's dad, Dave Marsh, passed away in 2024 aged 78 after a three-year battle with the disease. It spread to other parts of his body when he put off going to the doctor during the pandemic.

Kym, 49, has since worked to keep his legacy alive and raise awareness for prostate cancer, with her advocacy emphasising how a diagnosis can be “so devastating to a family” if it is found too late.

Hailing her dad as the “don of the family”, she said: "He was only little in terms of his height, but he had the heart of a lion. He was just dad. He was everything to everyone – he was brave, funny and so supportive. He adored the bones of my mum, they were so close. They were always together."

Marsh said her mum, Pauline, was “left devastated” after losing her husband of 60 years, and said: "When we found out dad was terminally ill and his cancer was incurable, it broke us.

"Nothing seemed to get him down. If he had been ill, he would get back up again. But he said to us: 'This is a fight I’m going to lose, I can’t beat this one'. That was devastating to hear him say that, and for us to realise that was really heartbreaking."

She said trying to help other people was the first thing her dad wanted to do after finding out about having prostate cancer, and the pair campaigned to raise awareness in the years leading up to his death. Marsh and her family have since continued to campaign for prostate cancer, and her son-in-law Mikey Hoszowskyj ran the TCS London Marathon in 2024 to raise money for Prostate Cancer UK.

"We’ve done everything we can to make sure that dad’s legacy is continuing, and that his memory lives on and to hopefully help other people," she added. "When we come together as a family, we all do very much feel like he’s with us. He is always in our memories. I strongly believe that my dad is always with us, on everything that we do."

The former Hear’Say singer also said she was so moved when her future daughter-in-law, Carmen Dickinson, offered to run the London Marathon on Sunday in memory of her father.

Marsh said: "(Carmen) never met my dad, but it’s just so lovely she wants to do this for us and for him, and for prostate cancer. It just was so gorgeous. It’s a very personal journey that we all went on with dad and for her to do this means such a lot to us. She has got such a good heart. We’ll all be heading down there to cheer her on. She’s a gorgeous girl, and I know she’s gonna absolutely smash it."

The Whiston-born actress said her and her family are raising awareness for prostate cancer as they hope to bring “something positive” out of her father’s death, adding: “It is so devastating to a family. It was devastating to us and to my dad to think that he’d left it too late. And that’s something we don’t want to happen to anyone else.”

Prostate Cancer UK states the condition is the most common cancer in men and one in eight men will receive a diagnosis in their lifetime, with the risk increasing if you are over 50, black, or have a family history of the disease.

Prostate cancer develops slowly, so there may be no signs for years, but signs may include an increased need to urinate, straining while urinating and a feeling that the bladder has not fully emptied, according to the NHS.