Comedian Rhod Gilbert 'optimistic' after stage four cancer diagnosis

Comedian Rhod Gilbert has declared he's "feeling optimistic" about recovery after being diagnosed with stage four cancer.

The Taskmaster favourite, 54, announced in July he was receiving treatment for cancer, and would be "disappearing for a while" from the public eye to focus on getting better.

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At the time, Gilbert opted not to divulge too much information about his current condition, stating only that he had cancer, but the star has now opened up in a new interview with BBC Radio Wales.

Explaining he first experienced symptoms in April, the Mock The Week regular was forced to cancel shows due to a "terribly sore throat" that left him struggling to breathe.

Gilbert was officially confirmed to have cancer in May – just as he returned from a trek to raise money for the Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff, the same hospital that would soon be treating him.

"In May, I noticed lumps started popping up in places they shouldn’t be. It turns out I’ve got stage four cancer," Gilbert explained.

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"I also caught Covid on that walk as well. I came home with cancer and Covid from a Velindre fundraising trek… the irony of that! I went as a Velindre patron and came home as a patient."

While the Welsh native is yet to find out if his body's been responsive to treatment, Gilbert added he was "happy, positive and optimistic" about the way things are going.

"I’m feeling good and feel like I’m recovering day-by-day," he added, before joking he was already working on a comedy routine about his experience in treatment.

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"I’ve got a feeling when I’ve got through all this there’ll be a show in it," he said.

"The things people say when they find out you’ve got cancer… people panic. There’s a lot of humour in it. Hopefully I’m going to jot it all down, and one day bring it to the stage."

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