Actor Alan Rickman’s wife, Rima Horton, has spoken out about the need for early detection of pancreatic cancer, saying the late actor “had so much more” to offer the world.
Her comments came as Pancreatic Cancer UK unveiled a poignant installation near Tower Bridge in central London.
Almost 800 trainers have been laid out, a stark representation of the number of lives lost each month in the UK to this aggressive disease. The display, positioned near the halfway mark of the London Marathon route, serves as a powerful reminder of the urgent need for greater awareness and research funding.
Pancreatic cancer carries a devastating prognosis. More than half of those diagnosed die within three months, and the five-year survival rate is less than 7%. Approximately 10,500 people receive a pancreatic cancer diagnosis in the UK annually. The London Marathon takes place next Sunday.
Harry Potter actor Rickman, who portrayed potions master Severus Snape in all eight films in the series, died aged 69 of the disease in 2016 – six months after his diagnosis.
Of her work with the charity, Ms Horton said: “I got involved with Pancreatic Cancer UK because Alan died of pancreatic cancer, and Alan was only 69 and had so much more to offer the world.”
She added she “couldn’t bear” the thought of others dying in the way her late husband had.
Ms Horton said Rickman’s diagnosis was a “complete shock” to the couple, as the actor had not experienced any “obvious symptoms”.
“He had a few minor things. I gather, quite a lot of people with pancreatic cancer do have symptoms two years beforehand, they do go to their doctor, but they’re so nebulous,” she said.
“And in Alan’s case, backache, maybe some stomach problems, but nothing that you would associate with something like pancreatic cancer, so when he was diagnosed, it was a complete shock.
“I think it knocked us sideways, completely.”
Of her late husband, Ms Horton said he was not only an “extraordinary actor” but was “incredibly kind” and would do anything he could to help others.
“If he could make a phone call, if he could write a letter, if he could put two people in touch with people, he did.
“I know people say to me often when they’re in any sort of difficult situation: ‘Now, what would Alan do here?’ because he did have a reputation of being not just wise, he just had a very good intuition about things and about people which is one of the reasons he was a good actor.”
Marathon runner, Ellie Thompson, who is participating in the race in honour of her uncle, who died just five days after being diagnosed with the disease last year, also highlighted the importance of recognising the symptoms.
Of her uncle, the 24-year-old said: “He didn’t have his own children so he treated me and my brother like his children and, sadly, he was taken from us too soon.
“We didn’t get to spend any time with him after his diagnosis.
“He didn’t get any time to register the news, we didn’t get any time to digest the news, and then somehow we were at his funeral, and we were like: ‘How did we get here?’
“It all happened too fast.”
Ms Thompson said that her uncle did not recognise the symptoms he experienced as being those of the disease and that by the time he was diagnosed, it was “too late” to receive any life-saving treatment.
Hundreds of 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.
The charity recommends anyone experiencing one or more of the most common symptoms – back pain, indigestion, stomach pain and weight-loss – for more than four weeks should contact their GP.
Anyone with jaundice – yellowing of the eyes or skin – should immediately go to A&E.
There are currently no early detection tests and four out of five people (80%) are not diagnosed until the cancer has spread, meaning life-saving treatment is no longer possible.
The 797 trainers include shoes donated by survivors and bereaved families including The Hobbit star Richard Armitage, Gavin and Stacey actor Alison Steadman and TV chef Ainsley Harriott, who all lost their mothers to the disease.
Pancreatic Cancer UK is the Charity of the Year for the TCS London Marathon 2025.
