Neighbours star Ian Smith diagnosed with 'non-fixable' cancer

Neighbours veteran Ian Smith has been diagnosed with "non-fixable" cancer.

The Australian actor, best known for his role as Harold Bishop in Neighbours, has announced that he has been diagnosed with pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma, a rare form of lung cancer.

"I found out a few months back that I have cancer, that I have a very aggressive non-fixable cancer and they expect me to die," the 86-year-old told Australia's 10 News First programme.

Ian continued, "I've had three chemos - although, the first one wasn't chemo, it was immunotherapy, which is reasonably new to the medical world."

The actor shared that he was willing to try the new treatment in a bid to extend his life expectancy.

"I've really put my hand up, I think just to be a guinea pig plus the fact I don't want to die, I want to stay alive with quality as long as I can - and if they can do that, I'm very happy," he explained. "But I wake up every morning hoping there's no pain, because I know that's the beginning of the bad part."

Due to his diagnosis, Ian will be leaving Neighbours, 37 years after making his debut in 1987.

The sad news was also announced on the official Neighbours X account.

"Harold waves goodbye to Ramsay Street. We're sharing the sad news that Ian Smith will soon be stepping away from the beloved role of Harold Bishop," the post read. "Ian first played Harold in 1987 and it's been a huge privilege to welcome him back to the show over the years."

The TV star was originally only due to appear in a few episodes of the soap, but ended up staying until 1991. He then returned from 1996 to 2009, and went on to make sporadic guest appearances before returning as a regular earlier this year.