'I caught it early': Rod Stewart free from prostate cancer

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This was published 4 years ago

'I caught it early': Rod Stewart free from prostate cancer

By Alex Green

Rod Stewart has revealed he is free from prostate cancer after around two years of secret treatment.

The 74-year-old singer was given the all-clear in July after his cancer was diagnosed during its early stages in 2017. Sir Rod went public with his illness during a fundraising event for the Prostate Project and European Tour Foundation charity in Surrey, England, this weekend.

Rod Stewart, pictured in August 2018, has beaten cancer for the second time.

Rod Stewart, pictured in August 2018, has beaten cancer for the second time. Credit: Drew Gurian/Invision/AP

Speaking alongside his former Faces bandmates Kenney Jones and Ronnie Wood, Sir Rod urged all men to seek regular check-ups. The singer said regular tests had helped him identify his cancer early, improving his chances of entering remission.

"Two years ago I was diagnosed with prostate cancer," he told the audience. "No one knows this, but I thought this was about time I told everybody. I'm in the clear now, simply because I caught it early. I have so many tests.

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"Guys, you've got to really go to the doctor. Finger up the bum, no harm done."

The father-of-eight added that he got through his treatment by staying positive and smiling.

It's not Stewart's first battle with cancer: in 2001, he spoke to US journalist Diane Sawyer about getting diagnosed with thyroid cancer, and subsequently being given the all-clear, the year before.

"I went for a regular CAT scan, which I've just started doing," he told Sawyer, "and they found this small cancerous growth on the thyroid. I had the operation and they literally cut you wide right through the throat. It just took a bit of time before the voice came back – and you can hear it's not properly back yet, but it will."

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At the time, Stewart said the diagnosis had been a "terrible shock" given his active lifestyle. "I've always thought I was so fit," he said. "I play soccer and I work out every day – the big C was the furthest thing from my mind."

With his latest cancer diagnosis behind him, the show goes on for Stewart: he kicks off a short residency in Las Vegas on Wednesday, performing eight shows at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, before embarking on an arena tour of the UK for the duration of November and December.

AAP, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age

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