Rhod Gilbert gives poignant cancer fight update after results of latest scan

23 October 2023 , 23:01

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Rhod Gilbert gives poignant cancer fight update after results of latest scan

Comedian Rhod Gilbert has received his first clear cancer scan since his diagnosis this summer.

The 55-year-old Welshman, known for panel shows such as Would I Lie To You, QI and Mock The Week, announced in July that he was being treated for cancer of the head and neck. He had surgery, followed by sessions of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, at a centre in Cardiff.

Rhod said the day he learned that his cancer hadn’t spread was “the best day of my life”. He explained: “My latest scan had shown the cancer was in the areas they knew about, but it wasn’t in my lungs or my brain.”

(RhodGilbert/Facebook)

On receiving the clear scan, he declared: “The best thing was that the tumour had gone, and it was once again an ordinary blood vessel.”

Days before his treatment was set to begin, Gilbert approached a documentary team to film his experience. “I’d cancelled all my TV work and tours, and I wanted to have something other than ‘cancer’ in my diary,” he told Radio Times. “I knew I wouldn’t be well enough to go on stage or TV, but I thought I might be well enough to lie in bed and talk to a documentary team.”

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Rhod was treated at the Velindre Cancer Centre in the Welsh capital, where he is also a patron. He said “a tumour popped up on my neck” on the day of a fundraising walk for the centre. Shortly afterwards, he was diagnosed with stage IV cancer.

The following months of treatment meant he “wasn’t well enough even to read or watch television”. Born in Carmarthen, South Wales, Rhod was so painfully shy at school he was unable to eat lunch with his fellow pupils. He has been married to comedian and writer Sian Harries since 2013.

Nicola Methven