Michael Flatley shares bleak diagnosis

<p>Beloved Irish-US performer Michael Flatley of Riverdance and Lord of the Dance fame – who is largely credited with shining a global spotlight on Irish dance – has announced to his legion of loyal fans that he recently underwent surgery and is suffering from an aggressive form of cancer.</p> <p>Sharing the news in a Facebook post, the 64-year-old’s support team did not specify the type of cancer he is dealing with, but simply asked for "prayers and well wishes" from fans and followers alike.</p> <p>"Dear friends, we have something personal to share,” reads the post. “Michael Flatley has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. He has undergone surgery and is in the care of an excellent team of doctors.</p> <p>"No further comments will be made at this time. We ask only for your prayers and well wishes. Thank you."</p> <p><iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FMichaelFlatley%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02pHnQWT4hAhRf1f5o21xKyCeMfiXQc2HPthn7bnSQeQD7hpre4RuZtt7mN3recCLql&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="601" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>Thousands of fans left supportive comments and well wishes for the famed dancer, who was first diagnosed just before Christmas.</p> <p>“So sad to read this,” wrote one fan. “I love you Michael for creating Riverdance and Lord of the Dance. They brought such light into my life. I pray you have a speedy recovery. Prayers and healing energy for you and your family.”</p> <p>“You brought Ireland and Irish Dance to the whole world,” wrote another well-wisher. “Your boundless energy, enthusiasm, joy and creativity have touched and enhanced millions of lives.”</p> <p>The Lord of the Dance icon has previously battled skin cancer after revealing he suffered from a malignant melanoma in 2003.</p> <p>Last year, Flatley revealed how an MTV viewer spotted the first signs of skin cancer while he was making a TV appearance.</p> <p>"So many people who surround me have had cancer and so many people I know have died from it," Flatley said at the time.</p> <p>"I was diagnosed with skin cancer myself and it was a very scary time. I sympathise with anybody who is lying on that bed and facing the uncertainty of the future. It can be a frightening place."</p> <p>The MTV viewer who spotted the early sign of cancer noticed a brown spot on Flatley’s face and contacted Flatley's assistant, advising him to visit the doctor.</p> <p>"[The doctor] said if I had let it go a few more weeks there was probably nothing he could have done for me," Flatley added.</p> <p>Flatley retired from dancing in 2016, revealing at the time the toll his career had taken on his body, saying that he was "always in pain" due to the strain.</p> <p>"I've wrecked my body with dance. I can't say I wasn't warned and I can't say I haven't loved every single minute of putting myself into this state. But physically I'm a mess. I have a recurring broken bone in my right foot which just spontaneously breaks itself. My hamstrings are ruined, my groin is gone and I've done irreparable damage to two points of my spine – T1 and T6."</p> <p><em>Images: Wikipedia / Facebook</em></p> <p> </p>

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