Prisoner, Home and Away and Young Doctors star Cornelia Frances dies aged 77

The actress Cornelia Frances, who starred in several iconic Australian TV shows, has lost her battle with cancer.

Her death, aged 77, was announced on Channel Seven today.

She is best known for playing Morag Bellingham in Home and Away and Sister Scott in The Young Doctors.

Frances also appeared in Prisoner and hosted The Weakest Link.

A Current Affair revealed in February that the popular star was in a fight for her life.

She was suffering from bladder cancer, which then had spread to her thigh and back. The swelling from the tumour was so severe it broke two ribs.

"We're gonna fight it, by god I am," she said.

Born in Liverpool, England in 1941, Frances started her acting career as an extra and bit-part player in British feature films before moving to Australia in 1970.

Her first big break came in 1975 as the strict Sister Grace Scott on The Young Doctors. With her sharp tongue and paralysing gaze, Frances had a long career and staked her claim as "the best b---- on TV".

Her time hosting The Weakest Link in the early 2000s endeared her to an entirely new generation of fans, thanks to her parting phrase on the show: "You are the weakest link - goodbye!"

But behind the scenes Cornelia, or Corney as she liked to be known, was a kind, much-loved actress who fellow actors called a friend.

She was popular, classy and charming to be with, said the critics – nothing like the woman we see on TV.

Her son Lawrence posted a picture of his mother to Instagram yesterday taken as she neared the end of her life.

"A very personal photo of my mum during one of her resting moments," he wrote.

"She is so peaceful, soft and serene. I truly love this woman."

Tributes have begun pouring in for Frances, who was beloved by Australian television audiences for decades.