Rhod Gilbert ‘coming back’ to former self after ‘faultless’ cancer treatment

Rhod Gilbert has revealed his struggles after developing head and neck cancer, but praised the centre where he was treated for it.

Gilbert’s symptoms included a sore throat, terrible spasms in his face and severe tightness in his muscles.

The Welsh comedian said: “I couldn’t speak and I couldn’t breathe and I was postponing and cancelling tour shows.

“(We) couldn’t get to the bottom of it. It turns out after a biopsy of this lump in my neck that I have something called head and neck cancer, cancer of the head sounded pretty serious.”

The 54-year-old, who was a regular guest on comedy panels like QI, Mock The Week and Would I Lie To You?, announced he had cancer in July.

He added: “Before I knew it, I was having surgery.”

Gilbert received treatment at the Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff and attended daily sessions of radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

In a video message for Channel 4’s The National Comedy Awards he said that the centre had been a “big part” of his life since he joined them as a patron a decade ago.

While he said it was “a bit odd” attending a centre where pictures of him lined the walls from his fundraising days, he described his treatment as “faultless”.

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He said he is “coming back” to his former self as his facial hair is regrowing, his voice is back to normal and he is regaining weight.

Gilbert joked about frustration after being diagnosed with cancer having raised money for the Velindre Centre for years including comedy nights, hosting quizzes and trekking across the world five times.

He said: “Apparently, you’re just as likely to get cancer even if you spend your time fundraising for a cancer hospital. I did get it and it turns out it can come for anybody at any time.

“So imagine my surprise when I was diagnosed with cancer which p****d me off no end because I thought I’d have lifelong immunity. Apparently not.”

It was on a fundraising trek in Cuba when the first lump appeared in his neck, but he said he had been “struggling” with other pains before that.

Gilbert has a grand recovery goal he is working towards: to lead the cancer centre’s next fundraising trek to the highest point in the Atlas Mountains, Morocco.