It’s been known for a while that comedian Rhod Gilbert was being treated for cancer, but there have never been any specifics. Obviously we, as fans, hope for as minor a cancer as possible, but the thing about cancer is it’s fucking awful and Gilbert has now revealed he is fighting off stage 4. That said, he expects to recover and tour the material he’s finding.

This was revealed in a chat with BBC Radio Wales. Let’s start at the beginning of 2022:

“I had a terribly sore throat, tightness through my neck. I was having to cancel shows because I couldn’t breathe,” he said. “I was having all sorts of problems and we couldn’t get to the bottom of it…In May, I noticed lumps started popping up in places they shouldn’t be. It turns out I’ve got Stage 4 cancer…”

He’s had surgery, chemo and radiotherapy but doesn’t know if that’s worked at all. Crucially: “I’m feeling happy, positive and optimistic. I’m feeling good and feel like I’m recovering day-by-day… I’ve got a feeling when I’ve got through all this there’ll be a show in it.

“The things people say when they find out you’ve got cancer… people panic. There’s a lot of humour in it. Hopefully I’m going to jot it all down and one day bring it to the stage.”

Best wishes Rhod