Rhod Gilbert feels ‘lucky to be here’ after cancer diagnosis

25 March 2024

Rhod Gilbert has admitted he’s “lucky to be here” after being diagnosed with cancer.

Rhod Gilbert has admitted he’s 'lucky to be here' after being diagnosed with cancer

The 55-year-old comedian - who announced he was battling stage four neck and head cancer in June 2022 - appeared in ‘The Great Celebrity Bake Off: Stand Up To Cancer’ alongside 'EastEnders' star Danny Dyer, BBC radio host Yinka Bokinni, and eventual winner Leigh Francis, and opened up about the “frightening” reality of living with the disease.

During the programme, he said: “For me its quite emotional to be here because the fact is I'm lucky to be here at all. I realised when I got cancer, I'd been plodding along thinking, ‘Other people got cancer.’

“One in two of of us are going to get cancer in our lifetime and that's pretty shocking and quite frightening really. Things like this that raises money for the research that goes into that treatment are amazing. I'm living proof.”

The ‘Taskmaster’ star previously admitted that he struggled to “speak and breathe” during the early days of his cancer battle.

Speaking in a pre-recorded segment for the National Comedy Awards, which were held in aid of Stand Up 2 Cancer, he said: “I couldn't speak or breathe and I was postponing and cancelling tour shows, I had terrible spasms in my face and a lot of tightness in my muscles.

“Couldn't get to the bottom of it, turns out after a biopsy of this lump in my neck that I have something called head and neck cancer, cancer of the head, sounded pretty serious.”

The ‘8 Out of 10 Cats’ panellist then joked he was “p***** off” after being diagnosed with cancer, and assumed he would have “life-long immunity” from the disease after spending ten years as a patron of Velindre Cancer Centre.

He 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 ten years, so imagine my surprise when I was diagnosed with cancer.

“Which p***** 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.”