In the wake of the tragic passing of Aussie reality TV star Mel Schilling, Australian television personality Barry Du Bois has delivered a deeply emotional reminder of life’s fragility, opening up about his own long-running and incurable cancer battle.
Best known for his role on The Living Room, Du Bois became visibly emotional while speaking about his 15-year fight with incurable cancer during a recent appearance on the podcast Double A Chattery, hosted by Amanda Keller and Anita McGregor.
Now 65, Du Bois opened up about the moment in 2011 when doctors told him he had just three months to live – a devastating prognosis that came shortly after his first diagnosis. “I was in a room with three other doctors; three doctors and my team as they called themselves,” he recalled. “And the first doctor said to me, ‘My best advice is you go home, tidy up your affairs and spend as much time as you can with your loved ones. You’ve got about three months to live’.”
The diagnosis came after Du Bois was found to have plasmacytoma myeloma, a rare cancer affecting the immune system, which had already destroyed a vertebra at the top of his spine. He underwent major surgery to stabilise his neck, followed by high-dose radiotherapy.
But even in the face of what seemed like an impossible prognosis, Du Bois refused to accept the outcome laid before him. “That was the Christmas of 2011 and I said, ‘Thanks for your advice, not really interested in that’,” he said. “I said to the next two guys, ‘I don’t know where you’re at with this, but I believe in me and I’m not interested in that narrative… Option A for me was living. There was no option B.’”
Du Bois would go on to defy those early expectations, building a television career that began with hosting The Renovators before he joined Keller on The Living Room in 2012. The pair quickly formed a deep bond, something both recalled during the podcast.
“The beginning of our friendship, honestly, it’s the beginning of the best time in my life,” Du Bois said. “I had been through a lot in a short amount of time… I had cancer, I’d been given three months to live, I’d had major surgery, I had radiotherapy… Then I met you.”
Keller agreed, describing their instant connection. “We were like soulmates, weren’t we? We just went bang. We went deep very quickly,” she said.
The duo would go on to co-host The Living Room for 10 seasons until its conclusion in 2022, with Du Bois’ cancer battle unfolding publicly throughout much of that time.
In 2017, he was diagnosed again – this time with multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer. By then, he and his wife, Carol Tobler, had young twins, adding another layer of heartbreak and urgency to his fight.
He underwent chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, documenting the harsh realities of treatment on national television.
“The idea for that was that we would announce it [and the viewers] would see me go to the depths, which it is. That’s what cancer treatment is,” he said. “You saw me lose my hair, you saw me lose weight. I was struggling in a lot of ways, but I knew deep down that they would also see me come back and be strong again.”
For many viewers, that honesty became a source of strength during their own battles.
“I’m very happy, very proud that thousands of people every day, every year, say, ‘I was in that journey with you… and seeing you every Friday night kept us going’,” he said.
While Du Bois has previously acknowledged he will never be cancer-free, he shared a quietly hopeful update on his health. “[I’m] going fantastic… My beautiful children are growing. I stay as healthy as I can and loving life,” he said.
His emotional reflections come at a time of renewed grief within Australia’s television community, underscoring both the fragility of life and the resilience of those who continue to fight, long after the worst news is delivered.
Images: Instagram
