John Partridge reveals secret cancer battle
The former EastEnders star opened up on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday morning (March 27).
By Will Stroude
John Partridge has revealed he secretly battled testicular cancer.
The former EastEnders star, who is set to appear in ITV’s The Real Full Monty on Wendesday night (March 28), opened up about his diagnosis on Good Morning Britain today (March 27).
The actor explained how in 2004, four years before be began his stint as Albert Square’s Christian Clarke, doctors discovered a tumour the size of a grapefruit they prepared to operate on him for a hernia.
“I had no pain – I didn’t realise it was there,” Partridge told hosts Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley and. “Had I not had this surgery for something else, who knows what would have happened.
“Then I sort of went into reverse shock about it. Once it had been removed, five months later, I had to have a few lymphs removed as a precaution and then I started to worry and get the fear – what if it comes back? Is it my lifestyle?”
46-year-old John, who had a testicle removed as part of his treatement, explained that he decided to keep his diagnosis a secret, admitting that he didn’t even tell his mother because he felt “ashamed” and “embarrassed”.
He explained: “As a man, I felt like I had lost part of my sexuality, my masculinity. You remove a testicle, that’s a big operation. I have over 120 stitches and there’s a scar. It doesn’t look particularly pretty for someone like me.”
The Celebrity Big Brother star continued: “I make my money going out on the road doing big tours. People think of me as being this big, incredibly fit, healthy guy.
“I suddenly thought, ‘You’re not going to take me out on this 52-week tour, eight shows a week, if you have concerns about my health.’ So I chose to never speak about it.”
John will strip off alongside seven other male celebrities as part of The Real Fully Monty on Wednesday night to help raise awareness of cancer, and the star says the show inspire him to speak out about his experience 14 years later.
“I’m doing this because I know that there are a lot of other people like me”, he explained.
“I know there will be lots of other guys that have had this like me and not spoken about it.”
The Real Full Monty airs Wednesday, March 28 and Thursday, March 29 at 9pm on ITV.