Home and Away’s Cornelia Frances has passed away

Actress Cornelia Frances has died at the age of 77.

She passed away at home today surrounded by her friends and family after battling cancer for over a year, Australian broadcaster Seven Network announced today. She was best known for her role as lawyer Morag Bellingham on Home and Away. "Her on screen presence inspired a generation of actors. This gift was coupled with an ability to bring a sense of dignity and presence into each room she entered," said the Seven Network in a statement. Cornelia revealed earlier this year that she has been fighting cancer for 12 months. "I discovered I had bladder cancer," the actress, 76, told the Daily Telegraph in January. "This then spread to my hip bone which fractured and then I almost died from loss of blood due to an ulcer in my throat. "Despite all this, I am still here, as the old song goes." At the time, Cornelia expressed her desire to return to the soap where she made her name. "I would dearly love to go back to Summer Bay but haven’t heard anything as yet." Cornelia played Morag on and off since 1988, but that's not her only well-known role Down Under. Born in Liverpool, she emigrated to Australia and appeared in soaps including The Young Doctors and Sons and Daughters, as well as hosting the Australian version of The Weakest Link.