BBC star dies aged 43 after rare cancer diagnosis as emotional tributes pour in
A BBC star has died aged 43 after being diagnosed with a rare cancer.
Belgian actress Emilie Dequenne sadly passed away on Sunday in a hospital just outside Paris, France, her family and agent confirmed.
The Missing actress revealed two years ago she had been diagnosed with a rare cancer.
Emilie said in October 2023 that she had was suffering with adrenocortical carcinoma.
Last year, Emilie revealed that she was in remission and had plans to return to acting.
However, her condition worsened and she suffered a relapse at the end of 2024.
Emilie told French television show TF1 she was focusing on her health, and publicly acknowledged her deteriorating condition.
“I know I will not live as long as planned,” she said.
Emilie’s first role in the film Rosetta, by the Dardenne brothers, launched her career.
She also won best actress at the Cannes film festival for her performance in the film, which also won the Palme d’Or.
One of Emilie’s most famous roles was her portrayal of Laurence Relaud in eight episodes of the first series of 2014 BBC drama The Missing.
Emilie scooped up a string of other awards for appearances in mainly French-language films.
She starred in 2009 movie The Girl on the Train and the 2012 drama Our Children.
Emilie also went onto appear in the likes of Brotherhood of the Wolf, Yes, But…, The Very Merry Widows, The Light, and Close.
The star returned to the Cannes film festival in 2024 to mark the 25th anniversary of her triumph there with the Dardenne brothers.
Emilie also promoted the English-language disaster movie, Survive.
But after a turn for the worse, it was sadly the last film she appeared in before illness forced her to stop working.
The action thriller was released that year, and Dequenne revealed she “didn’t know she was sick” during filming in late 2022.
“So I’m fighting cancer, which is something really strange when you look at Survive and me fighting against all the crabs,” she told The Action Elite.
“But I didn’t know I was sick by the time I was shooting the movie, and I got sick almost like six or eight months later. I’m still fighting.”
Dequenne is survived by husband Michel Ferracci and her 22-year-old daughter Milla Savarese.
French actor Michael Youn paid tribute to the star: “Emilie, I thought you had won this fight against this filth.
“I am devastated to learn that you did not. For the duration of one film, The Crossing, you dazzled me with your talent and even more so with your kindness and humanity.
“I will forever remember the light in your eyes, the strength of your laughter, and the purity of your feelings. My thoughts are with Michel and Milla. Rest in peace.”