Nicola Sturgeon joins mourners at funeral of comic Janey Godley
Mourners have been paying their last respects to the comedian Janey Godley at her funeral in Glasgow.
She died earlier this month aged 63 after receiving palliative treatment for terminal cancer.
Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon was among those to attend the service at St Mary’s Cathedral in Glasgow.
Godley found surprising fame with her impression of Ms Sturgeon’s COVID-19 news briefings during the pandemic.
The ex-SNP leader described her as “a force of nature” and “one of the funniest people I have ever known”.
Other mourners have also attended the service wearing bright colours in line with Godley’s wishes.
Nicola Sturgeon became friends with Janey Godley, who revoiced the first minister’s pandemic briefings – with comic effect. Pic: PA
Godley and Nicola Sturgeon pictured in 2023. Pic: PA
The Very Reverend Kelvin Holdsworth began by telling the congregation that Godley would be remembered with “kindness and with love” and added that “forgiveness” would be among the themes of the service.
Her daughter, Ashley Storrie – who is also a comedian – spoke during the service and said her mother “asked that I headline her funeral” but “I can’t do any of her jokes cause ‘house of God’ and that”.
“She was a comedian, that was her thing first and foremost. She tried acting, she hated it. She was a terrible singer. She couldn’t knit, she tried. There’s pictures of Liam Neeson with a hideous scarf to prove it. But what she was, was a comedian,” she added.
She concluded – her voice breaking – by asking “for one last time… please put your hands together for my ma, Janey Godley”.
The service took place at St Mary’s Cathedral in Glasgow. Pic: PA
Janey Godley’s daughter Ashley Storrie was comforted before the service. Pic: PA
The congregation then rose to their feet, cheering and applauding.
Gavin Mitchell, who played Bobby the barman in the TV sitcom Still Game, was also among the mourners.
As the coffin was lifted out of the church, a recording of Godley’s famous catchphrase was played to the congregation: “Frank, Get the Door”.
Her famous catchphrase featured in the service: “Frank, Get the Door”. Pic: PA
Godley’s coffin took a two-day “final tour” of Edinburgh and Glasgow ahead of her funeral service on Saturday, before a private cremation.
Godley revealed she had ovarian cancer in November 2021, but despite being given the all-clear in 2022 the disease returned.
Crowds applauded as Godley’s coffin left St Mary’s Cathedral in Glasgow. Pic: PA
Mourners gathered outside to pay their respects. Pic: PA
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She died at a hospice in Glasgow on 2 November, shortly after being awarded an honorary degree from the University of Glasgow.
Known for her stand-up career, including several radio shows and numerous TV appearances, Godley did not shy away from openly discussing cancer or controversial topics.
She secured worldwide fame in 2018 after protesting at Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf resort, holding a sign which read “Trump is a c***”
Donald Trump has said he is considering “taking away” the US citizenship of actress and comedian Rosie O’Donnell, despite a Supreme Court ruling that expressly prohibits a government from doing so.
In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, the US president said: “Because of the fact that Rosie O’Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship.”
He also labelled O’Donnell, who has moved to Ireland, as a “threat to humanity” and said she should “remain in the wonderful country of Ireland, if they want her”.
O’Donnell responded on Instagram by posting a photograph of Mr Trump with Jeffrey Epstein.
“You are everything that is wrong with America and I’m everything you hate about what’s still right with it,” she wrote in the caption.
“I’m not yours to silence. I never was.”
Rosie O’Donnell moved to Ireland after Donald Trump secured a second term. Pic: AP
O’Donnell moved to Ireland with her 12-year-old son in January after Mr Trump had secured a second term.
She has said she’s in the process of obtaining Irish citizenship based on family lineage and that she would only return to the US “when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America”.
O’Donnell and the US president have criticised each other publicly for years, in an often-bitter back-and-forth that predates Mr Trump’s move into politics.
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This is just the latest threat by the president to revoke the citizenship of someone he has disagreed with, most recently his former ally Elon Musk.
But the two situations are different as while Musk was born in South Africa, O’Donnell was born in the US and has a constitutional right to American citizenship.
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Amanda Frost, a law professor at the University of Virginia School of Law, said the Supreme Court ruled in a 1967 case that the fourteenth amendment of the constitution prevents the government from taking away citizenship.
“The president has no authority to take away the citizenship of a native-born US citizen,” he added.
“In short, we are nation founded on the principle that the people choose the government; the government cannot choose the people.”
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