Leah Bracknell: Cancer appeal for ex-Emmerdale actress hits target

A campaign to raise £50,000 for former Emmerdale actress Leah Bracknell to undergo lung cancer treatment has reached its target.

The appeal, launched on a donations website, received more than 2,000 contributions within three days.

Bracknell, who played Zoe Tate in the ITV series from 1989 to 2005, set up the campaign for treatment in Germany.

The 52-year-old mother-of-two has been working as a yoga instructor in recent years.

Her character in the soap was known for storylines which raised awareness about mental health and LGBT issues.

Bracknell, whose real name is Alison and is known to her family as Ali, only discovered she was battling terminal lung cancer five weeks ago.

She and her partner Jez Hughes wrote about the news and their hopes to save her life on the fundraising page.

They explained that doctors said the cancer was "terminal, not curable, not operable" but their research led them to want to try a new treatment being used in Germany.

Mr Hughes wrote: "The downside is that these cutting edge treatments aren't yet available on the NHS outside of clinical trials and are very expensive... This is why we are fundraising here."