Inside Stephen Fry’s life – devastating health battles, prison stint and disappearance

Stephen Fry has suffered some devastating battles away from the camera.

The comic first rose to fame as one half of the Fry and Laurie duo alongside Hugh Laurie in the late 80s. Since then, he has gone on to land many impressive acting and presenting gigs, most notably hosting BBC’s QI for 13 years.

He now boasts impressive acting credits including Black Adder and the film series adaptation of The Hobbit. But it hasn’t always been plain sailing for the broadcaster.

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As the TV favourite celebrates his 67th birthday with a bang, Daily Star has taken a deep dive inside his private life and devastating heath battles.

Mental health journey

The broadcaster has been very open about his struggles with mental health throughout his life. But in 2022, Stephen spoke about his childhood as well as his attempts at suicide in an extremely raw interview with Dragons’ Den star Steven Bartlett.

During an appearance on his Diary of a CEO podcast, he candidly opened up about his childhood struggles. He told listeners: “I was a deeply difficult child that my parents took me to a psychiatrist when I was 14.

“I was lost and adrift and really what I felt I wanted to do is to take my life. That started my journey into my mental health.”

By the age of 17, Fry had served a three-month sentence at Pucklechurch Prison for credit card fraud. During this time behind bars, the star decided to push himself to apply for Cambridge university.

The star has battled with his mental health throughout his life, but it wasn’t until he was 37 that the actor revealed he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. During an appearance on Fearne Cotton’s podcast Happy Place, Fry opened up about how the disorder affects his life.

He told listeners: “There was and still is, and I still feel it occasionally, a danger of becoming sort of professionally mentally unstable, and that’s what I am, what’s who I am. I’ve always viewer it’s not who I am, it’s a condition I live with.”

Sudden disappearance

In 1995, Fry made national headlines when he abruptly abandoned his role in a play in the middle of its run in London and disappeared to Belgium without a trace. At the time, the presenter prompted widespread concern over his mental health after he was described as being in “emotional turmoil” over his role in the play Cell Mates.

The star refused to respond to telephone calls or reveal his whereabouts. Speaking in an interview for BBC Two with his long-time friend Hugh Laurie, he confessed that he needed to leave the country over a fear of failure.

He said: “I just couldn’t take being in the play or being in London. I saw those rows of newspaper headlines – ‘fears for Fry’ type of thing. And I stared at it in disbelief. I mean I was absolutely staggered.

“They all are worried that I’ve committed suicide. That’s the awful thing isn’t it? I can’t believe I worried people so much. When you feel you can’t go on, it’s not just a phase, it is a reality.

“I could not go on. And I would have killed myself if I didn’t have the option of disappearing.”

Age gap romance

Stephen Fry met his husband Elliot Spencer in 2012 after meeting at a friend’s house. During an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show in 2015, he opened up about their relationship.

He recalled: “We met at a friend’s house and I knew pretty house much straight away that this was someone I wanted to spend, what I considered, the rest of my life with. Whether he thought the same because he’s got rather a lot of more [life to go than me].”

The couple tied the knot three years later in January 2015 in a small and intimate registry office ceremony in Norfolk near where Fry grew up. Elliott is almost 30 years Fry’s junior and often makes jokes about their age gap during interviews.

Speaking to Jonathan Ross, he chuckled: “There is an age difference and I keep forgetting which way round it is but I think he’s younger than me… but I don’t mind. During an appearance at the 2015 BAFTAs, which were hosted by Fry, Elliott said that he doesn’t let other people’s opinions on their relationship faze him.

He said at the time: “I don’t care what people think, Stephen is the love of my life, the light of my life.”

Devastating cancer diagnosis

In 2018, Stephen Fry shocked fans when he announced that he was suffering from prostate cancer. The comic detailed his health struggle in an extended video shared on his personal blog, explaining his absence from the public eye due to his fight for his health.

He explained that his condition was discovered when he went to his doctor to receive a flu jab. When blood tests were conducted for a health MOT, the results showed an elevated level of prostate-specific antigen (PSA).

At the time, he wasn’t overly worried, and even admitted that he wasn’t fully aware of what the prostate was. The star completed an MRI scan, with doctors informing him the next day that “something rather mischievous showed up.”

The actor was then referred to a specialist who recommended a transrectal biopsy. After that he had a PET scan in which gallium was injected into his body to show any cancerous cells.

Thankfully, the cancer didn’t appear to have spread, but a lymph node had shown “something” indicating a need for “active surveillance.” Subsequently, they explored his treatment options which included radiation therapy and a complete removal of the prostate gland.

In January this year, Fry underwent surgery where they also moved 11 lymph nodes. It was at this point that his cancer was more aggressive than initially perceived. Since his diagnosis, the star confessed that he felt as though his “life was saved” by early intervention.

He has been urging men “of a certain age” to get their levels checked after learning that one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer.

For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk