'First Dates' star Merlin Griffiths reveals cancer setback

First Dates star Merlin Griffiths has revealed he has suffered a setback in his recovery from bowel cancer.

The 47-year-old told his fans that he has been forced to undergo additional procedures since he was diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer last September.

Talking to Metro, the First Dates barman said: "It's been a long, slow road to recovery. I got myself up and around [because] you're supposed to do what's called active recovery these days."

Read more: First Dates' Merlin Griffiths re-hospitalised with bowel cancer complications

Griffiths also detailed his recovery: "I was operated on in April, late April. That was all going well. I had a minor setback so I was in for a couple of procedures."

He added: "So now I'm under strict surgeon's orders not to overdo it so active recovery takes a backseat. So the last six to eight weeks have been quite frustrating, largely having to cool my heels and not being able to do what I'd like to do."

Griffiths is currently undergoing radiotherapy after having two lots of surgery – in April and July. He has continually kept his fans updated on his cancer journey, often sharing photos from hospital beds and details of his treatments.

He has also previously thanked the NHS for saving his life as last year, Merlin was told he has a 75 per cent chance of living for more than five years after medical tests unearthed a stage-three tumour that measured 4.5cm in length.

Griffiths also shared a picture of the robot that performed his surgery. Robotic surgery is when surgeons view the operation through a magnified screen while the robot holds the tools. The surgeon controls the arms of the robot and mechanically performs the surgery.

Symptoms of bowel cancer include: Bleeding from the bottom, blood in stools, a change in bowel habits lasting at least three weeks, unexplained weight loss, extreme, unexplained tiredness and abdominal pain.

It is most common in people over 50.

Watch below: Michael Fabricant appears on First Dates in resurfaced clip.