Sam Neill gives important health update after stage three cancer diagnosis

21 March 2023 , 10:18

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Sam Neill gives important health update after stage three cancer diagnosis

Sam Neill has offered fans a health update after being diagnosed with stage three cancer.

The Jurassic Park actor recently revealed he had been diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma last year, but is now cancer-free. His revelation came in his new book, Did I Ever Tell You This?, as he spoke about how writing his story down got him through the tough and long process of chemotherapy.

Speaking on the ITV morning show, he said: "I'm absolutely fine Lorraine. I got a cancer scare about a year ago but I've been in remission for eight months now. I'm in tip top health and I'm going back to work next week."

Sam spoke to Lorraine on her ITV show today (ITV)

Asked if his cancer diagnosis prompted him to write his book, he added: "I was going to chemotherapy and had nothing to do, I'm used to thinking with what little brain I have and going to work and suddenly I couldn't go to work.

"So I started writing. After a few months, I thought maybe there's a book in it."

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In his book, he opened it with: "The thing is, I’m crook. Possibly dying. I may have to speed this up."

He added to The Guardian recently: "I never had any intention to write a book. But as I went on and kept writing, I realised it was actually sort of giving me a reason to live and I would go to bed thinking, ‘I’ll write about that tomorrow … that will entertain me.'

"And so it was a lifesaver really, because I couldn’t have gone through that with nothing to do, you know."

He gave her an update about his health (ITV)

Sam had swollen glands whilst working on the promotional tour for Jurassic World Dominion last year and initially tried chemotherapy, which began to fail, so he went onto a new chemotherapy drug, which he will take each month for the rest of his life.

"Those dark moments throw the light into sharp relief, you know, and have made me grateful for every day and immensely grateful for all my friends. Just pleased to be alive," he explained, before admitting that he isn’t “afraid” to die but said it would “annoy” him.

Sam later gave fans an update to insist he was doing really well.

"My news seems to be all over the news at the moment, and it's sort of 'Cancer! Cancer! Cancer!' Which is slightly tiresome because as you see, I am alive and well and I have been in remission for eight months, which feels really good. And I’m alive and kicking and I'm going to work," he said, "I'm very happy to be going back to work. We start filming in seven days time."

Jasmine Allday