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BREAST CANCER: NO LAUGHING MATTER

Reality Bites - Breast Cancer: No Laughing Matter - Anne Gildea Image Name: Reality Bites - Breast Cancer: No Laughing Matter - Anne Gildea Description: Reality Bites - Breast Cancer: No Laughing Matter Copyright: © (Copyright: Adrian Mullan).  This image may be reproduced in print or electronic format for promotional purposes only.

Series 2; Episode 5

Reality Bites:

The Reality Bites documentary strand returns to cover the stories and issues that fascinate and challenge Irish people today.

Breast Cancer: No Laughing Matter

Anne Gildea is a comedian and writer. She is 45 and single. Last March she revived her comedy trio The Nualas, relaunching on the Late Late Show and kick-starting a busy schedule of gigs for the year ahead. Four months into their tour Anne received devastating news – she was diagnosed with aggressive stage three breast cancer and told she has to undergo immediate treatment.

Determined to keep the show on the road, Anne sets about juggling rehearsals and tour dates with chemotherapy and hospital appointments. She talks about her diagnosis on TV and radio, and writes humorous accounts of her treatment in her weekly column, displaying a remarkably up-beat attitude. But as her mastectomy approaches, Anne’s positivity wavers and she has to face the fact that there are some things she can’t cure with comedy. Confronted with her own mortality, Anne starts to question all aspects of her life. Having firmly believed that everything in life has comic potential Anne begins to wonder if some things in life are simply not funny at all.

Through a combination of uniquely intimate documentary footage and video-diaries shot over a period of six months Breast Cancer: No Laughing Matter takes the viewer on a courageous, sometimes absurdly funny and often heartbreaking journey. Anne’s irrepressible sense of humour, eccentric spirit and raw honesty make this documentary a must-watch on RTÉ Two this Spring.