Neighbours star Ian Smith has shared a positive update on his cancer battle, revealing that the progression of his cancer has slowed down.
“It [the cancer] has evened out and immunotherapy is keeping it there and my markers have been the same for the last three treatments,” the 87-year-old star told the Herald Sun.
He added that his medical team were impressed with the results, saying: “They don’t know why I have had this incredible result, they can’t tell me why I am not giving in to cancer.
“They are very happy I am not [giving in].”
The actor, who played cafe owner Harold Bishop in Neighbours for 37 years, expressed his excitement in potentially acting again, after the diagnosis caused him to leave the iconic show.
“I have said to some very smart people that I wanted to finish my career on the stage. Wouldn’t it be nice if I got a small part in a stage play?” he told the Herald Sun.
The Aussie actor first revealed his cancer diagnosis in December 2024. At the time, he told 10 News First’s Angela Bishop: “I found out a few months back that I have cancer, that I have a very aggressive, non-fixable cancer and … they expect me to die.”
A few months later, he updated his fans on his condition, telling The Guardian “I thought I would be stronger, but I am as a weak as any human.”
“Dying does change how you live,” he added, saying that since his diagnosis he has become “more forgiving, more understanding”.
Doctors initially told him he wouldn’t live past March, but after a series of effective chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatments, his life expectancy has been extended to Christmas 2026.
“I know I have cancer, because doctors keep telling me I have it,” he said.
“I may get very sick again one day. But I have lived the most privileged life.”
Images: Nine/ Today
