Rhod Gilbert shares hopes for 2024 comedy tour following cancer treatment

02 September 2023 , 20:25

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Rhod Gilbert announces plans for 2024 comedy tour following cancer treatment (Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Rhod Gilbert announced his plans to embark on a comedy tour next year after receiving treatment for his stage four cancer diagnosis.

The 54-year-old comedian was diagnosed with the disease in July last year and explained at the time that he was suffering from stage four head and neck cancer. He has been receiving treatment at the Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff - the same place where he had been a fundraising patron for a decade before.

Earlier this year, he revealed he responded well to his treatment and felt like he was 'coming back' from the disease. And now, he sat down for a chat on BBC Radio Wales on Friday to discuss his treatment as well as his future touring plans. He also thanked the NHS and the Velindre Cancer Centre for "getting me back on my feet."

Rhod said: "My new attitude is that life’s too short, you’ve got to crack on and do these things." Speaking about his new ideas, he said: "I’ve been scribbling away, I’ve got a few ideas and I’ve been trying some stuff out. I think I’m going to tour again next year… It’s all taking shape at the moment."

Rhod is hoping to go on tour next year (Twitter/@BBCRadioWales)

His previous tour, Book of John, went on for four years (between 2019 and June this year) due to the postponements from the coronavirus pandemic as well as his health. In February, when he discussed 'coming back' from the disease during a speech at the National Comedy Awards, he discussed his fundraising treks.

Rhod Gilbert breaks silence on cancer revealing he 'couldn't speak or breathe'

Rhod said: “I’ve led five fundraising treks all over the world, I do stand-up comedy nights to raise money, I hosted quizzes… it’s been a big part of my life for the last 10 years, so imagine my surprise when I was diagnosed with cancer. Which p***ed me off no end, because I thought I’d have life-long immunity! Apparently not.

"Apparently you’re just as likely to get cancer even if you spend your time fundraising for a cancer hospital. Anyway, I did get it, and it turns out it can come for anybody.” Rhod continued: “The other irony is that I was in Cuba on a trek, fundraising for this cancer centre when the first lump popped up in my neck. I left as a patron and came back as a patient.

“I’d been struggling for a while anyway, with pain in my neck and a sore throat and I couldn’t speak or breathe, and I was postponing tour shows, I had terrible spasms in my face and tightness in my muscles. Couldn’t get to the bottom of it, turns out after a biopsy that I have something called head and neck cancer. Cancer of the head, sounded pretty serious.”

Zara Woodcock