Eleven months ago Lesley Paterson was on top of the world.
The five-times world champion triathlete was the toast of Hollywood as the movie she fought adapt for the big screen, ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’, won four Oscars, including best foreign film.
The First World War movie won a record seven BAFTAs, including best film and best adapted screenplay.
But Ms Paterson’s Hollywood dreams came to a screeching halt at the end of last year when her sports psychologist husband of 22-years, Dr. Simon Marshall, was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
In a moving post on Instagram, the couple – who moved to California to pursue their movie dreams full-time – vowed to beat the devastating diagnosis with Ms. Paterson saying: ‘2023 was filled with the biggest of bigs, the highest of highs, the lowest of lows.
Five-times world champion triathlete Lesley Paterson was the toast of Hollywood but the star’s dreams came to an abrupt halt at the end of last year when her husband Dr Simon Marshall was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer
Ms Paterson’s GoFundMe page for her husband, which the pair described as the ‘biggest fight of our lives’
Lesley Paterson and Simon Marshall attend the BAFTA Film Awards 2023 Nominees Party at The National Gallery in February 18, 2023
In a moving post on Instagram , the couple – who moved to California to pursue their movie dreams full-time – vowed to beat the devastating diagnosis. Pictured: The happy couple attend a party in LA on March 10, 2023
Prince William, Prince of Wales meets Lesley Paterson and Daniel Dreifuss onstage after the BAFTAs at The Royal Festival Hall on February 19, 2023
Simon Marshall and Lesley Paterson attend the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party in March 2023
Ms Paterson’s First World War movie, All Quiet on the Western Front won a record seven BAFTAs, including best film and best adapted screenplay. Pictured: Paterson poses with fellow screenwriter Ian Stokell with their BAFTAs in February 2023
Ms Paterson, a world class athlete, used her winnings to buy the film rights to the 1929 Enrich Maria Remarque novel. Pictured: Paterson winning the 2012 ITU World Triathlon Alabama Elite Women’s race on May 19, 2012, in Birmingham, Alabama
‘From BAFTA wins, Oscars nominations, Oscar wins…but unfortunately…Simon was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. So in 2024 we face the biggest fight of our lives.
‘Keep that positive energy coming because we are going to need it.
Dr Marshall added: ‘From launching new careers and moving to LA and embarking on this incredible journey we’ve both been on now in film… even though late stage pancreatic cancer is never nice but we’re going to beat it and I’ve got the world champ and hustler extraordinaire on my side and, on average, we’re doing fine.’
Ms Paterson, 43, who is from Stirling, made global headlines with the story of how it took 16-years for her to land a deal to transform the 1929 novel by Erich Maria Remarque into a movie.
The book had been made into a Hollywood film in 1930, and won the Oscar for Best Picture.
Ms Paterson was a jobbing actor and world class athlete when she met writing partner Ian Stokell and approached Remarque’s estate to secure the rights to remake the film for a modern audience.
The triathlete used her winnings from a race in Costa Rica, which she entered despite having a broken shoulder, to buy the film rights and invested more than £165,000 over 16 years before seeing her dream become reality when Netflix agreed to make the movie as a German-language project.
The film, starring Daniel Bruhl and Felix Kammerer, was a commercial and critical hit and led to Ms. Paterson and her English husband – whom she met when both were students at Loughborough University – moving full time to LA.
A source said: ‘After their Oscar and BAFTA wins they were on top of the world. They were finally living their dream, filmmaking offers were coming in and everything looked rosy.
‘Then, in November of last year, Simon was diagnosed with one of the worst possible cancers.’
The pair have launched a GoFundMe to raise $500,000 to fund experimental treatment.
All Quiet on the Western Front also won four Academy Awards, including best foreign film. Pictured: Sienna Miller, Lesley Paterson and Ian Stokell
Lesley Paterson at the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on January 15, 2023, in LA
Ms Paterson, 43, who is from Stirling, made global headlines from her 16-year battle to adapt All Quiet on the Western Front
But the star’s dreams came to an abrupt halt at the end of last year when her husband Dr Simon Marshall was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer
Lesley said her husband was ‘on the brink’ of an ‘exciting new chapter’ of his life when he received the bad news
Ms Paterson described her husband’s fight as life’s way of ‘challenging us with unexpected obstacles’
Triathlete Ms Paterson entered a race in Costa Rica despite having a broken shoulder
On the GoFundMe site, Lesley wrote: ‘Life has a way of challenging us with unexpected obstacles, and right now, my husband Simon and I are facing the greatest test of our lives.
‘Guided by the unwavering spirit that has defined our lives, we are determined to conquer this monumental challenge.
‘Simon was on the brink of a remarkable new chapter in his career when this diagnosis disrupted our plans, impacting us emotionally, physically, and financially.
‘While we are fortunate to have excellent insurance, the standard care options available for Pancreatic Cancer can be somewhat limiting in their effectiveness. In our quest for the best possible outcome, we are exploring new and emerging treatments, therapies, and modalities.
These groundbreaking approaches offer hope, but they come at a significant cost. In our pursuit of victory over this relentless adversary, we find ourselves in need of support from our incredible community—our friends and family who have always stood by us through thick and thin.’
As of Friday night the fund had reached $117,000.
