Blue Heelers star John Wood’s devastating diagnosis
He graced our screens as the stoic sergeant Tom Croydon on Blue Heelers for more than a decade, winning three Logies and legions of fans along the way.
But John Wood recently revealed he has been diagnosed with the autoimmune disease rheumatoid arthritis, which has forced him to cut back a little on his career.
“I now have rheumatoid arthritis which knocks me around a bit,” he revealed to New Idea.
“The problem I have is that I can’t do anything terribly active. I can’t bend easily and I can’t touch my toes very well and stuff like that, so it’s a bit hazardous for a working actor to be not so agile.’
The 70-year-old, who recently starred in an episode of True Story With Hamish & Andy, said that although his health has been affected, he has no plans to retire from the screen anytime soon.
“It’s not as rough as some things, but it’s just a pest really,” he said.
“I can’t imagine retiring, I don’t know how I would be able to afford it to be honest right at this moment.
“Actors can go on to work well into old age.”
The grandfather lives with his wife Leslie in rural Victoria. He is currently starring in stage show Bakersfield Mist alongside long-time Blue Heelers co-star Julie Nihill.