The Office star Lucy Davis’ family has shared their devastation over her terminal cancer battle.

The 53-year-old announced on Tuesday that she was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer which has since metastasized and is now in her spine, hip and ribs.

The actor said in a heartbreaking post that it was “too late for chemo” and that her cancer is “incurable”.

Her comedian father Jasper Carrott has now revealed how her family is coping following her diagnosis 18 months ago.

“This is a very difficult time for the whole family and we have been supporting her in every way possible since her diagnosis,” he told The Sun.

“We are so grateful for all the support we have had over this trying time and we are very hopeful for her future being what she wants it to be.”

He went on: “We are so proud of our daughter and love her so much. The way she has conducted herself through many traumatic health issues is a lesson to us all.”

Davis was given a kidney transplant from her mother in 1997 after being diagnosed with kidney failure.

Carrott ended his statement by asking for privacy and thanking fans for their “love and concern”.

Davis, who is best known for playing Dawn Tinsley opposite Martin Freeman’s Tim Canterbury in the cult BBC sitcom The Office, was diagnosed with cancer after finding a “really tiny” hard spot in her breast.

“The cancer is incurable, and too late for chemo,” she wrote.

“As of now, I’m trying to live out whatever might be left of my life in as fun a way as I possibly can. I always like to find the teachable moments in anything negative that happens.

“And cancer has not disappointed in that regard; there’s a lot I have learned from it, and I’m grateful for that.”

The Birmingham native explained that the pain had been the hardest thing to deal with, and that she sometimes now used a wheelchair.

“The thing that has been most vital to me is humour,” she wrote. “I asked my friends and family to make fun of me as much as possible (which they’re really good at [eye-roll emoji]), and most importantly of all to not treat me like a sick person.

“There’s nothing that will make you feel more unwell than being treated as if you’re unwell.”

Davis added that she was “not scared of whatever comes next”, saying: “I’m at peace with it... For me, leaving my physical body just means going home. Any and all grieving is for my family; it’s far harder for them than for me.”

She shared her message alongside a video in which she could be seen smiling and ringing the bell in hospital to signal the end of treatment.

Her The Office co-star Ricky Gervais offered his support, commenting with a love heart emoji.

While best known to some audiences for her work in cult 2000s projects such as The Office and Shaun of the Dead, Davis was introduced to a whole new generation via her role in Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

She also appeared in the Disney Channel series The Villains of Valley View, and wrote in her Instagram post that she intended to keep on acting.

“I’m still going to keep up all my work for animal rights. It’s so important to me,” she wrote. “And I still would like to keep working. I’m perfectly able to do so, and acting is one of the biggest joys in my life.”