Ryan Tubridy paid tribute to Cervival Check campaigner Lynsey Bennett on The Late Late Show on Friday night, following the news of her passing.
The 34-year-old sadly died at her home in Co. Longford on Thursday, and is survived by her beloved daughters Zoe, 14, and Hailee, 9.
During the programme, Ryan said: “Before we go on, I don’t want to let the evening go without mentioning a friend of ours on the show who sat here not too long away, who I’m sorry to say passed away.”
Rest in peace Lynsey x pic.twitter.com/WYYqTbkki6
— The Late Late Show (@RTELateLateShow) October 28, 2022
“She was a beautiful soul, a kind person and very happy,” he continued. “I remember going to meet her in the dressing room backstage and we did a Facetime with her family back home.”
“She radiated a lot of goodness and a great deal of kindness. She was a fighter. She kept going and persisting.”
“She was an important woman in Ireland because there are a lot of people in Ireland that were poorly treated and deserved a lot more and didn’t get what they needed.”
“Unfortunately Lynsey was one of those people. So our thoughts are with her tonight especially to her girls Zoe and Hailee.”
The mother-of-two was one of many women affected by the Cervical Check scandal, as she was diagnosed in January 2017 following a series of smears which failed to detect cervical cancer.
In February 2021, the mother-of-two settled her High Court case against the HSE and the laboratory involved in her missed cancer diagnosis for an undisclosed sum.
Speaking outside court, Lynsey said she hoped it would help secure her children’s future.
“I hope I have done enough to secure you both a future free from financial worries and that even with me not here to guide you that you can both pursue your dreams and remember Mammy loves you,” she said at the time.
Devastated to hear that Lynsey Bennett (34) has passed away. She, like so many other brave women, brought the horror of the CervicalCheck scandal home to us all.
In the end, all she cared about was securing her daughters’ future. She should have been able to watch them grow 💔 pic.twitter.com/yZON4aD9Oc— Frank Greaney (@FrankGreaney) October 28, 2022
Shortly after she settled her High Court case against the HSE, Lynsey appeared on The Late Late Show to talk about her diagnosis, and was widely praised for her bravery.
Lynsey used her Instagram page (‘Cancer With Gratitude), which gained over 64k followers, to raise awareness of cervical cancer, and to update the public on her ongoing treatment.
The 34-year-old also advocated for more breakthrough cancer treatments to be brought to Ireland.
In the last two years, she was forced to travel to Germany and Mexico to undergo treatment that is not available in Ireland.
