Only Fools And Horses star Patrick Murray, 65, reveals he’s had a ‘tumour’ removed from his lung
‘I have a fighting chance’: Only Fools And Horses star Patrick Murray, 65, is diagnosed with cancer… four months after John Challis died at 79 following long battle with the illness
The actor confirmed the news on Tuesday evening while publicly endorsing a new government drive to get mystery aches and pains checked out Murray is best known for his role as Trilby loving wide-boy Mickey Pearce in BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, a role that defined his career Co-star John Challis died ‘peacefully in his sleep’ at the age of 79 on September 19 after a long battle with cancer
<!–
<!–
<!–<!–
<!–
(function (src, d, tag){
var s = d.createElement(tag), prev = d.getElementsByTagName(tag)[0];
s.src = src;
prev.parentNode.insertBefore(s, prev);
}(“https://www.dailymail.co.uk/static/gunther/1.17.0/async_bundle–.js”, document, “script”));
<!–
DM.loadCSS(“https://www.dailymail.co.uk/static/gunther/gunther-2159/video_bundle–.css”);
<!–
Former Only Fools And Horses star Patrick Murray has been diagnosed with cancer after doctor’s discovered a malignant tumour in his lung.
The actor, 65, best known for his role as Trilby loving wide-boy Mickey Pearce, confirmed the news on Tuesday evening while publicly endorsing a new government drive to get mystery aches and pains checked out.
The announcement comes just four months after former co-star John Challis – Cockney car dealer Terrance ‘Boycie’ Boyce – died of cancer, aged 79.
Announcement: Former Only Fools And Horses star Patrick Murray has been diagnosed with cancer after doctor’s discovered a malignant tumour in his lung
He tweeted: ‘Naturally I wanted to keep my own health problems private, but failing to fully endorse this ad would be selfish.
‘Thanks to my ultrascan I have a fighting chance. It showed my organs needed further investigation and tumours were spotted. This led to a PET scan which covers a much larger area.
‘To my wonderful surprise these lesions were not cancerous but the scan did find an early-stage cancerous tumour in my lung. This has since been removed.’
Speaking out: Murray confirmed the news on Tuesday evening while publicly endorsing a new government drive to get mystery aches and pains checked out
Old times: The actor is best known for his role as Trilby loving wide-boy Mickey Pearce (pictured in 2001)
He added: ‘I am tweeting now, which wouldn’t be the case if I hadn’t had the ultrasound all those months ago.
‘A lot of people put these symptoms down to age and the discomfort to simply having a weak stomach. Please don’t ignore it if it persists.
‘As for me, and thanks to the NHS, I can now see the same beautiful horizon as you.’
Banter: (L-R) Sid (Roy Heather), Trigger (Roger Lloyd Pack), Boycie (John Challis), Denzil (Patrick Barber), Marlene (Sue Holderness) and Mickey Pearce (Patrick Murray) in Only Fools and Horses
Tragic: Only Fools And Horses star John Challis died ‘peacefully in his sleep after a long battle with cancer’ on September 19
The news comes after John Challis, Murray’s Only Fools And Horses co-star, died ‘peacefully in his sleep’ on September 19 after a long battle with cancer.
Challis was best-known for his portrayal of second-hand car dealer Boycie – a cigar-smoking businessman with a mocking laugh who butted heads with Del Boy – in the beloved British sitcom, alongside Sir David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst.
Speaking shortly after his death, Sir David, who played Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter on the hit show, called Challis a ‘dear friend’ and ‘wonderful actor’ and said he was pleased the star had witnessed the outpouring of admiration recently shown for the 40th anniversary of the first episode of the sitcom.
Tribute: Sir David Jason described Challis as ‘a gentleman in the true sense of the word’ as he led tributes to the actor following his death
In a statement Sir David said: ‘It is with much sadness to hear that John Challis, a dear friend, has passed away.
‘He was a wonderful actor, a gentleman in the true sense of the word and I know he will be missed by so many.’
He added: ‘A character so well loved by the many fans of that show so I am pleased that he witnessed the outpouring of admiration recently shown for the 40th Anniversary of the first episode in 1981. I send my love and condolences to his wife, Carol.’
Peckham’s finest: Patrick Murray as Mickey Pearce in Only Fools And Horses, circa 2002
