Lynda Bellingham funeral held in Crewkerne in Somerset 3 November 2014 Last updated at 12:56 The funeral of actress Lynda Bellingham, who died last month, is under way in Somerset. The 66-year-old, best known for her long-running role as a mum in the Oxo TV adverts, had battled colon cancer since being diagnosed in July 2013. Guests, including Loose Women colleagues Jane McDonald and Andrea McLean, arrived for the funeral at St Bartholomew's Church in Crewkerne. The actress died "in her husband's arms" on 19 October, in hospital. Bellingham decided to stop having chemotherapy to limit her family's suffering after her cancer spread to her lungs and liver. Speaking earlier this month, she said giving up the treatment was "a huge relief because I took back some control of myself." At the scene: Tammy McAllister, BBC News Among the mourners were two ladies who told me they felt they wanted to pay their respects as Lynda was a well-known and loved figure whom they had grown up with in the public eye. But they also did not want to intrude on the family's grief. Another mourner, Joyce Willey said: "Fourteen years ago I survived cancer with only 40 per cent chance of survival - I'm still here 14 years later. It's quite poignant when you've had it yourself and you realise it's quite a devastating thing - it's not a nice word, cancer. About 300 members of the public turned up at St Bartholomew's Church for the funeral, which was decorated with viburnum, avalanche roses and mint green carnations - all in hues of green and white, which were Lynda's favourite colours. One woman, Marlene, who went along to pay her respects, said: "It's an honour, it's lovely to think she's being buried here, it's an honour for Crewkerne." Polly Warner, told me: "I think she's an absolutely wonderful lady, very strong, inspirational to a lot of people. I lost my mother to cancer coming up to two years ago. She's a marvellous woman, such an inspiration. Margaret Long said: "I've always admired what she's done, her personality. I first remember her as being the Oxo mum and my children used to love her. I think she's an inspiration to anyone who has got cancer. Bellingham had an acting career that spanned five decades. She had a starring role in the BBC series All Creatures Great and Small, which for a time became a staple of Sunday evening viewing. But for many people, she will be best remembered for her 16 years as the "Oxo Mum" in advertisements that became a series of mini-soap operas. She was born Meredith Lee Hughes in Montreal, Canada, on 31 May 1948. Her mother Marjorie gave birth to her out of wedlock, incensing her strict Jewish family, who made her give up her daughter. She was adopted by a British couple, Donald and Ruth Bellingham, who brought her up in their Buckinghamshire home.