Comedian Matt Forde has revealed he had to learn to walk again after having part of his spine removed due to cancer.
The star, 41, had thought he was suffering from “awful sciatica” around the time of the Edinburgh Fringe last year. But it turned out that his symptoms were being caused by a tumour on his spine.
He underwent 13-hour surgery late last year and has since had to master walking again. And he’s now set to return to the Fringe with his new show.
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“After my final show there, I was told I had cancer,” Matt said. “Instead of going on tour, I was being carved open to have the base of my spine removed.”
“Now I know how turkeys feel,” added the star, who is known for shows like Spitting Image and Unspun with Matt Forde. “And it was in the run-up to Christmas. I’m learning to walk again and with the help of two fantastic helpers (sticks), I will be back at on stage.”
Matt said that when he was in hospital “in excruciating pain” he had consoled himself with the idea that he would get a show out of the experience. But he said he then remembered that his comedy was political, so that probably wouldn’t be the case.
The comedian had opened up to fans about his diagnosis last October. Writing on X at the time, he said: “Some personal news. I’ve had awful sciatica lately. It’s caused by a spine tumour. I need surgery so I’ll be off for a bit.
“I’ll record some shows to cover the gap (subscribe wherever you get your podcasts). I’ll be fine. In the words of Steve Cooper, I’ll trust the process.”
He was inundated with support from fans, and later said that he felt “overwhelmed” by the response. “Thank you so much,” Matt posted on X. “I feel a bit young to be dealing with this, but hopefully that will aid my recovery. I know the hardest stuff is still to come but my advice so far is: if you have something wrong, go to the doctor. Catch it early.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
