Sir Rod Stewart has revealed he has secretly been fighting prostate cancer for three years.
The 74-year-old is in remission and urged men to go for regular check-ups to ensure early detection of the disease. (c) Getty
The singer said he was diagnosed in February 2016 during a routine check-up for the UK’s most common male cancer.
He made the revelation to a shocked audience at a fundraising event for the Prostate Project in Surrey with his former Faces bandmates Kenney Jones and Ronnie Wood.
The 74-year-old said he has been in remission since July and caught the disease early because he goes for regular check-ups, which he urged all men to get.
“Guys, you’ve got to really go to the doctor,” he said, according to the Daily Mirror.
“Finger up the bum, no harm done.
“No one knows this, but I thought this was about time I told everybody.
“I’m in the clear, now, simply because I caught it early. I have so many tests.”
Stewart, who has eight children, said he managed to get through his treatment by keeping positive and smiling.
Actor Stephen Fry revealed last year he had had his prostate removed after being diagnosed with cancer.
He and other artists, including musician Nile Rodgers and Oscar-winning actor Jim Broadbent, are sharing their cancer stories to encourage men to realise the disease can affect anyone as part of the The Men, We Are With You campaign by Prostate Cancer UK.
Fry said: “A prostate cancer diagnosis is a scary thing – you never expect it’s going to happen to you.
“Thankfully, mine was caught early enough that something could be done but I know that it isn’t the same for everyone.”
He added that he hopes Prostate Cancer UK’s research will mean a screening programme is developed to ensure men have a better chance at an early diagnosis.
One in eight men in the UK will get prostate cancer, with more than 40,000 diagnosed each year.
The chances of developing prostate cancer increase as you get older, with most cases in men aged 50 or older.
Recent research suggests obesity increases the risk, according to the NHS.
Because prostate cancer progresses very slowly, men can live for decades without symptoms. – bbc.com
