Lynda Bellingham, the beloved Canadian-born British actress, died on Sunday after a battle with cancer. She was 66.

Lynda Bellingham Dies

Bellingham had been battling colon cancer since July 2013 before passing away “in her husbands arms,” according to the BBC. In recent months, her cancer had spread to her lungs and liver.

"Lynda died peacefully in her husband's arms yesterday at a London hospital,” said Sue Latimer. "Actor, writer and presenter – to the end Lynda was a consummate professional."

Bellingham got her start on TV in the early 70s, appearing in guest roles on The Misfit, Kate, A Family War and more. She went on to play Nurse Hilda Price on General Hospital and Ruth Isaacs on Mackenzie. In the 80s, she played The Inquisitor on Doctor Who and went on to land the part of Helen on All Creatures Great and Small, a role for which she’s best known.

Additional series Bellingham starred on throughout her prolific career, include Second Thoughts, Faith in the Future, Reach for the Moon, The Bill and more. In recent years, Bellingham served as a host on Loose Women alongside three other notable women. Her acting, however, is what her husband Michael Pattemore hopes she’s most remembered for.

"I just want her to be remembered as an actress more than anything, not as a celebrity or one of the Loose Women,” Pattemore told Yours magazine upon his wife’s death. "She started her career as an actress and never thought of herself as a celebrity – she's always been an actress."

Bellingham is survived by her husband and two sons from a previous marriage.

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