Stephen Fry, the British actor, comedian, writer, game show host and raconteur, has revealed he is being treated for prostate cancer.
Fry announced the news in a 13-minute video shared via Twitter, writing, “For the last 2 months I’ve been in the throes of a rather unwelcome and unexpected adventure.”
He discovered he had the disease before Christmas and said he was recovering after an operation to remove his prostate in early January.
“They took the prostate out,” Fry said, adding, “So far as we know it’s all been got.”
The 60-year-old described the cancer as an “aggressive little bugger,” saying that his Gleason score — a system used to evaluate the severity of prostate cancer — was a nine out of 10.
“I went around saying to myself, ‘I’ve got cancer. Good heavens, Stephen, you’re not the sort of person who gets cancer.’
“I know it’s an old cliché, but you don’t think it’s going to happen to you.”
Fry thanked his friends, family and “divine and darling husband” for their support.
“Here’s hoping I’ve got another few years left on this planet because I enjoy life at the moment and that’s a marvelous thing to be able to say, and I’d rather it didn’t go away,” Fry said.
Fry stepped down as host of the BAFTA Film Awards last month, around the time of his operation. He had hosted the ceremony for 12 years.
“In case you’ve been wondering why I’ve been out of the public eye … I’m sure you haven’t,” he said, laughing.
“For the moment I’m fit and well and happy and I just wanted to let you know because rumors had started to swirl.”
Fry said his doctors believe the early action saved his life and urged “men of a certain age” to think about getting their PSA — prostate-specific antigen — levels checked with a doctor.
He closed the video by saying, “Thank you for listening and watching, and get yourself checked and follow your doctor’s advice.”
