Barry Humphries diagnosed with rare cancer after spotting ‘something unusual’ in shower
Barry Humphries, who is best known for his alter ego Dame Edna Everage, has opened up about being diagnosed with Paget’s Disease, a form of skin cancer. The Australian actor explained that he has undergone surgery following the discovery.
The 87-year-old shared that he noticed “something unusual” with his testicles while he was in the shower.
The writer explained that he was later diagnosed with Extramammary Paget’s disease (EMPD).
EMPD is a rare, slow-growing disease that is a pre-invasive form of skin cancer, according to the NHS.
It looks similar to a patch of eczema and usually affects skin in the genital area and around the anus.
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“I haven’t been in hospital for ages. Not since a burst appendix which was undiagnosed for 10 days because my appendix was hiding on the wrong side,” he explained.
The Les Patterson actor admitted he was in fear as they headed to the operating theatre.
But his nerves forced him to be very “chatty” with the medical staff, as he joked he had just spotted the Grim Reaper.
Barry went on: “As we trundled down a long corridor and descended in a very slow lift, I asked the kind, non-binary executive health care provider, or nurse, whether farming implements were allowed in the hospital.
“She said she didn’t think so, and why? ‘Because,’ I said, high as a kite on a pre-med, ‘I just saw a very tall man wearing a long, hooded robe and carrying a scythe walking past me.'”
He continued: “‘Oh him!’ she said aptly named Florence without missing a beat.
“‘I saw him too and I sent him down to the other ward to see old Mr Henderson. That old b*d has been giving us all a very hard time lately.'”
Barry is best known for writing and playing his on-stage and television alter egos Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson.
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