Wendy Richard is believed to have sent a message of encouragement to fellow cancer sufferer Jade Goody shortly before the actress succumbed to the disease aged 65.
Richard, whose television career spanned four decades, passed away on Thursday in the Harley Street Clinic in London with her husband John Burns by her side.
The former EastEnder phoned the 27-year-old Big Brother star to congratulate her on her wedding to Jack Tweed, 21, on Sunday, and told her she was thinking of her.
Richard, who played Pauline Fowler in the BBC soap for more than 20 years, urged Goody to keep fighting following her terminal diagnosis as she battles cervical cancer
Goody's publicist Max Clifford told the Daily Mirror: "Wendy was extremely kind. She knew exactly what Jade was going through and went out of her way to get in touch when her cancer was diagnosed.
"She said: 'Stay strong, I'm thinking of you, we're in the same boat'. Wendy encouraged Jade not to give up. Jade told me she was supportive and lovely."
Goody, 27, who has been given just weeks to live, is now making arrangements for her sons Bobby, five, and Freddie, four, to be christened before her death.
Meanwhile, it is understood that Ministry of Justice officials are likely to again suspend Tweed's curfew when Goody reaches her final moments.
The curfew was lifted last weekend so the newlyweds could spent their wedding night together.
A ministry source said Tweed's good behaviour during the wedding was a "factor".
