Comedian Janey Godley left £450,000 estate to her family after her death aged 63

By AIDAN RADNEDGE, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 11:54, 21 August 2026 | Updated: 11:56, 21 August 2026 Comedian Janey Godley left a £450,000 estate to her family after her death from ovarian cancer at the age of 63, documents show. The Glasgow performer, who won viral fame with video voiceover spoofs of Nicola Sturgeon during the Covid-19 pandemic, died in a hospice in November 2024. She was surrounded by friends and family, after revealing she was receiving end of life care. Documents lodged at Glasgow Sheriff Court reveal she had an estate worth £448,515 at the time of her death. Her husband Sean Storrie and daughter Ashley were named as executors in her will that was signed in 2021. She had shares worth £293,709 in her company JAI Incorporated Ltd, of which she and Ashley were directors – as well as £98,500 cash in bank accounts. Her occupation was listed as 'comedian' and the net value of the estate after expenses totalled £446,452. Godley dubbed pastiches of Scotland's then-First Minister Ms Sturgeon's coronavirus news briefings as well as other comic voiceovers during the pandemic. Comedian Janey Godley, pictured at the British Academy Scotland Awards in Glasgow in November 2019, died aged 63 in November 2024 after suffering from ovarian cancer Janey Godley is pictured with daughter Ashley Storrie, who has been named among the executors of the late comedian's will - with the family left a £450,000 estate Before that, she protested against US President Donald Trump coming to Scotland for a visit in 2016 – holding up an X-rated sign insulting him on one of his golf courses. Godley told the Daily Mail in May 2023, 18 months before her death, of feeling comforted that her husband Sean Storrie and daughter Ashley would be financially secure after her death. She said at the time: 'I worked hard. I have a great daughter. I've got a marriage that's lasted 43 years. 'I'm proud of the fact that despite all the s***e that was flung at me I managed to make my family financially secure which was very important to me because I came from such poverty. 'It's very important that my daughter will never have to worry about the electricity bill or being evicted or the rent not being paid. 'She will never have to worry about her dinner. Level six has been achieved so I can leave the game.' Godley, born the youngest of four and in poverty in Glasgow's east end in 1961, took up stand-up comedy in 1994 and went on to become a regular co-presenter on BBC Radio 4's Loose Ends, as well as fronting BBC Radio 4 series The C Bomb. She also appeared on panel shows such as Have I Got News For You.  Janey Godley, a former pub landlady, took up stand-up comedy in the 1990s She won fans during lockdown with her spoof voiceovers over footage of Nicola Sturgeon - the pair are seen at the Aye Write book festival at Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall in May 2023 The comedian was photographed at Turnberry golf resort in Ayrshire, on Scotland's West Coast, with her 'unwelcome' sign for the course's owner President Trump in June 2016 – bearing the message: 'Trump is a c***.' Godley, who revealed she had ovarian cancer in November 2021, was given an all-clear in 2022 but a later scan rediscovered signs of the disease.  She went on to be honoured in 2023 at the inaugural Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award at the Glasgow International Comedy Festival. She insisted she would continue touring but planned gigs were cancelled in September 2024 after she was treated in hospital for sepsis. She learnt her cancer had returned with added complications and spent her last weeks in the hospice.  In a video posted online in November 2024, Godley's daughter Ashley said: 'She went peacefully and I want to say a big thank you to all the staff at the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice.' Celebrities paying tribute to Godley after her death included Nigella Lawson who had forged a friendship with the comedian initially on social media. The celebrity chef wrote online: 'So hard to think of that great force and bright energy no longer in the world. My huge love to Ashley and family in their pain and loss.'  Janey Godley previously held an 'unwelcome' message for then-US president Donald Trump at the opening of his Turnberry golf resort in Ayrshire in June 2016 Ms Sturgeon also posted a message, saying: 'Knowing for the past few weeks that this moment was fast approaching didn't make it any less heartbreaking to hear the news early this morning that Janey had died. 'Janey Godley truly was a force of nature, and one of the funniest people I have ever known. I was able to visit her in the hospice a couple of weeks ago and though she was fragile, she still had me in stitches.  'Janey was also incredibly kind. And she made the world a better place. A bond was forged between us in the darkest days of Covid when her famous voiceovers of my daily briefings went viral.  'In the toughest of times, she made people laugh - and that was precious. She did more than that though. In managing to project the serious public health messages of my briefings to a much wider audience than I would have managed alone, she helped save lives.  'I was so proud to call Janey a friend and will miss her hugely. My heart goes out to her family and many friends - they are in my thoughts today. I know Frank will have been there, holding the door for her as she went - with a tear in his eye, as I have in mine. RIP my friend.'  Godley's funeral was attended by hundreds of mourners including Ms Sturgeon and Still Game sitcom star Gavin Mitchell. The service ended with a recording of Godley saying, 'Frank, get the door,' before the church doors opened. Godley used the catchphrase to end each of her Covid parodies and it was also the title of a book she published in 2020. Janey Godley kept fans updated on social media before her death, revealing how she had gone into a hospice to receive palliative care after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer Janey Godley is pictured with her daughter Ashley Storrie, an actress, comedian and radio presenter, at the British Academy Scotland Awards in Glasgow in November 2019 She also faced controversy when chosen to front a Covid public health campaign by the Scottish Government. Previous tweets labelled 'unacceptable' were brought into the spotlight and she later donated her £10,000 fee to charity. Godley spoke in early October 2024 about how the 'worst part' of her ordeal was having to tell her autistic daughter Ashley that she had cancer. The comedian told The Times: 'She has always been a catastrophiser - telling her was like throwing a hand grenade. 'I tell Ashley that she is likely to feel a sense of relief once it's finally done and I'm dead: no more chemo, no more hair loss, no more vomiting, no more worry. And she was just, like, "Ah, f***, I've been waiting for that to happen for ages already!"' Ovarian cancer is a cancer of the ovaries, which are part of the female reproductive system that contain their eggs. There are two ovaries and both are attached to the womb. Cancer on the ovaries can spread to the nearby bowel and bladder. It is the eighth most common cancer among women, and is most common in women who have had the menopause but it can affect women of any age.  About 66 per cent of ovarian cancer cases are diagnosed in the more advanced stages of the disease. At the time of diagnosis, 60 per cent of ovarian cancers will have already spread to other parts of the body, bringing the five-year survival rate down to 30 per cent from 90 per cent in the earliest stage. It’s diagnosed so late because its location in the pelvis means the symptoms can be vague and difficult to recognize, particularly early on. They're often the same as symptoms of less serious conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS). The most common symptoms of ovarian cancer are: You've been feeling bloated most days for the last three weeks  You have other symptoms of ovarian cancer that won't go away – especially if you're over 50 or have a family history of ovarian or breast cancer, as you may be at a higher risk