Johnny Ruffo opens up about his cancer battle in an emotional interview: 'I'm still fighting'
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Aussie musician and actor Johnny Ruffo sat down with Carrie Bickmore for an emotional chat on Tuesday night's broadcast of The Project, giving fans a heartbreaking update on his ongoing struggle with brain cancer.
Ruffo rose to stardom as a contestant on the third season of The X Factor in 2011, went on to star in Home And Away, and then was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2017.
This week, the 34-year-old actor had a conversation with Bickmore, who has been a tireless supporter of brain cancer charity efforts since she lost her husband, Greg Lange, to the disease in 2010.
Unfortunately, Ruffo's cancer has already reached a terminal stage, and Bickmore was the one who had to break the heartbreaking news to his fans and supporters.
Johnny Ruffo gave an emotional update on his brain cancer struggle. Credit: The Project.
The celebrity was initially diagnosed with brain cancer in 2017, and in that same year, he underwent successful surgery to have the tumour removed.
While the singer was making progress in his recovery and was declared cancer-free in 2019, he revealed that the disease had returned in late 2020.
'The cancer had come back, which was fairly devastating because I thought I was in remission,' he told Carrie.
'It's terminal cancer, so at some point, it's going to get me, but I'm still fighting, still kicking on,' Ruffo went on to say.
He also shared with Carrie that one of the things keeping him going is the fact that he had already outlived the expected life expectancy for his type of cancer, which was three years.
'For me, it's already been five years. My goal is now to help as many people as I can, and live a happy life.'
Ruffo expressed concern over Tahnee Sims, his partner, and how she would handle his passing. Credit: Toby Zerna.
During the heartfelt conversation, the former star of Home and Away confessed that one of the hardest parts of his diagnosis is worrying about how his girlfriend, Tahnee Sims, will react and cope with the news of his passing away.
'I can only imagine how difficult it has been for her. What plays in my head a lot is, I hate to say this, but how hard it may be for her if something does happen to me,' he told Carrie, who lost her husband to cancer.
While fighting back tears, he expressed how terrified he is of what the future has in store for him.
'It just gets me a little bit emotional about it. Because I know that at some point, something will happen, whether it's, you know, a month from now, or 10 years from now, or 20 years.'
Ruffo went on to share the one piece of advice from well-wishers that drives him bonkers – 'Stay positive.'
'It really annoys me, because positivity doesn't cure cancer,' he said. 'I am the most positive person going around. And I'm like, do you think I'm not being positive? And if I die, it's because I wasn't positive?'
They touched on Johnny's highs, lows, and the things that motivate him to keep going. Check out the video below to see more of what they talked about:
Credit: The Project.
After the interview was broadcast a few nights ago across all of The Project's networks, viewers immediately took to various social media platforms to express their support and sympathy for the actor.
'What a strong, loving, and (still) cheeky gorgeous guy. He can still inspire, make us giggle, and warm our hearts. Stay strong, Johnny!' one user wrote on Twitter.
A second user also said, 'Stay strong, Johnny. Enjoy life while you can. So sorry you've been dealt a rotten hand.'
'Johnny, thank you so much for sharing your story,' another added. 'You are amazing, and you know that everyone is here for you!'
Even though it saddens us to read and write about Johnny's experience, we send him our warmest wishes and pray that he has a speedy and complete recovery so that he can get back to living his life to the fullest.
Share your thoughts with us in the comments, members!
Ruffo rose to stardom as a contestant on the third season of The X Factor in 2011, went on to star in Home And Away, and then was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2017.
This week, the 34-year-old actor had a conversation with Bickmore, who has been a tireless supporter of brain cancer charity efforts since she lost her husband, Greg Lange, to the disease in 2010.
Unfortunately, Ruffo's cancer has already reached a terminal stage, and Bickmore was the one who had to break the heartbreaking news to his fans and supporters.
Johnny Ruffo gave an emotional update on his brain cancer struggle. Credit: The Project.
The celebrity was initially diagnosed with brain cancer in 2017, and in that same year, he underwent successful surgery to have the tumour removed.
While the singer was making progress in his recovery and was declared cancer-free in 2019, he revealed that the disease had returned in late 2020.
'The cancer had come back, which was fairly devastating because I thought I was in remission,' he told Carrie.
'It's terminal cancer, so at some point, it's going to get me, but I'm still fighting, still kicking on,' Ruffo went on to say.
He also shared with Carrie that one of the things keeping him going is the fact that he had already outlived the expected life expectancy for his type of cancer, which was three years.
'For me, it's already been five years. My goal is now to help as many people as I can, and live a happy life.'
Ruffo expressed concern over Tahnee Sims, his partner, and how she would handle his passing. Credit: Toby Zerna.
During the heartfelt conversation, the former star of Home and Away confessed that one of the hardest parts of his diagnosis is worrying about how his girlfriend, Tahnee Sims, will react and cope with the news of his passing away.
'I can only imagine how difficult it has been for her. What plays in my head a lot is, I hate to say this, but how hard it may be for her if something does happen to me,' he told Carrie, who lost her husband to cancer.
While fighting back tears, he expressed how terrified he is of what the future has in store for him.
'It just gets me a little bit emotional about it. Because I know that at some point, something will happen, whether it's, you know, a month from now, or 10 years from now, or 20 years.'
Ruffo went on to share the one piece of advice from well-wishers that drives him bonkers – 'Stay positive.'
'It really annoys me, because positivity doesn't cure cancer,' he said. 'I am the most positive person going around. And I'm like, do you think I'm not being positive? And if I die, it's because I wasn't positive?'
They touched on Johnny's highs, lows, and the things that motivate him to keep going. Check out the video below to see more of what they talked about:
Credit: The Project.
After the interview was broadcast a few nights ago across all of The Project's networks, viewers immediately took to various social media platforms to express their support and sympathy for the actor.
'What a strong, loving, and (still) cheeky gorgeous guy. He can still inspire, make us giggle, and warm our hearts. Stay strong, Johnny!' one user wrote on Twitter.
A second user also said, 'Stay strong, Johnny. Enjoy life while you can. So sorry you've been dealt a rotten hand.'
'Johnny, thank you so much for sharing your story,' another added. 'You are amazing, and you know that everyone is here for you!'
Even though it saddens us to read and write about Johnny's experience, we send him our warmest wishes and pray that he has a speedy and complete recovery so that he can get back to living his life to the fullest.
Share your thoughts with us in the comments, members!
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are with him abd his family . So sad
