Former Coronation Street star Gray O’Brien has revealed he’s been secretly battling stage four tonsil cancer.
The actor, 51 – who played businessman Tony Gordon on the soap from September 2007 until June 2010 – shared his delight over completing his treatment by ringing a bell in hospital in a clip posted to Twitter on Monday.
Heaping praise on his loved ones, the Scottish thespian penned: ‘Today marks the end of my treatment & I couldn’t be more thankful to everyone who has supported me along the way.’
Health: Former Coronation Street star Gray O’Brien has revealed he’s been secretly battling stage four tonsil cancer
In the short video, Gray appeared in great spirits as he rang the End of treatment bell – created in April 2014 by the eponymous charity – to mark his milestone.
The Casualty star detailed his battle with his followers on the platform as he added: ‘About 3 months ago a trip to the doctors with swollen glands led to stage four tonsil cancer. @Beatson_Charity @CRUK_BI #CancerAwareness #tonsilcancer #staystrong.’
A painless lump in the neck is a textbook symptom of tonsil cancer. Others include a persistent sore throat, one tonsil becoming bigger than the other and difficulty swallowing.
The disease is easy to miss, as symptoms can be quite subtle. On the disease, Professor Nutting told MailOnline back in March: ‘There is not good awareness of this cancer.’
Portrayal: The actor, 51, played businessman Tony Gordon on the soap from September 2007 until June 2010 (pictured on the show)
In good spirits: Gray shared his delight over completing his treatment by ringing a bell in hospital in a clip posted to Twitter on Monday
Happy: The Scottish thespian heaped praised on his supportive loved ones as he penned: ‘I couldn’t be more thankful to everyone who has supported me’
Romance life: The Casualty star has been dating photographer Kate Scott (pictured in June 2017) for over three years, and shares his son Conor, 20, with ex-wife Lynn
Tonsil cancer typically occurs in those in their 40s and 50s, and cases have doubled over the past ten years, according to Cancer Research UK figures. Every year, 1,600 new cases are identified.
Some are linked to smoking and drinking, but tonsil cancer cases are rising sharply because of an increase in the prevalence of HPV, or human papillomavirus, a sexually transmitted virus that’s so common, says Professor Nutting, ‘virtually all of us will have been infected at some point.
HPV is now thought to cause around half of all tonsil cancer cases. The virus is also linked to cervical cancer, which is why teenage girls have been offered a vaccination against HPV since 2008 — and the vaccination of boys will start later this year.
Gray – who is also known for starring as Richard McCaig in Casualty during the late 90s – previously admitted appearing as Corrie villain Tony was a ‘game-changer’ for his career.
He told The Herald in 2017: ‘You know how big that character was. It was absolutely bonkers.’
His character Tony was killed off in 2010, spelling the end of the soap star’s three-year stint on the ITV show.
The Glasgow native admitted he struggled to land other roles after his acting on the cobbles.
He added: ‘For the first six months I didn’t even think about work because I knew the phone wasn’t going to ring.
‘Then the next six months it didn’t ring either and going into the second year it still wasn’t ringing. When it gets to five and six years you are thinking, “What is going on?”eople feel they can’t touch you because you are just too well known as that character.’
Since starring on Corrie, Gray played the role of Alan Redford in six-part crime drama The Loch in 2017.
He has been dating photographer Kate Scott for over three years, and shares his son Conor, 20, with ex-wife Lynn.
On set: The Glasgow native admitted he struggled to land other roles after his acting on the cobbles (pictured with Samia Ghadie, Frank Grimes and Dearbhla Molloy in October 2009)
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