Comedian Milton Jones has announced he is cancer free and will be extending his stand-up tour after cancelling several dates earlier this year following his diagnosis.
The 61-year-old, the Live at the Apollo and former Mock The Week star, thanked the doctors and nurses who had helped him amid his treatment for prostate cancer and said he is ‘in a completely different place’ now.
A statement Jones said: ‘A few months ago, I had to stop my tour Ha!Milton because I needed treatment for prostate cancer.
‘I’m glad to say I’ve had that treatment and am now cancer free!
‘So, many thanks to all the doctors and nurses who helped me get better – I couldn’t do their job (I tried, but apparently you have to be qualified).
‘A big thank you to my family, friends, all those who helped reschedule things and the many others who have been so nice to me.
‘Along with all those who have kept hold of their tickets for the shows that have been rescheduled and apologies to those whose shows we were unable to move.
‘I have to admit there were a few dark moments when I wondered if anyone would ever see me again, but then I realised that I was leaning against the light switch.
‘Thankfully I’m now in a completely different place, and if you look at my website, you’ll see that very soon I’ll be in lots of other different places on tour too – miltonjones.co.uk I hope to see you there.’
In April, Jones announced his diagnosis in an Instagram post where he explained he would be needing time to recover after undergoing surgery.
He wrote: ‘This difficult decision comes following a recent diagnosis of treatable prostate cancer. I’ll be undergoing surgery soon and will need time afterwards to recover.’
The comic concluded: ‘Thank you for your support and respecting my privacy during this time. This decision has not been taken lightly.
‘Trust me, abnormal service will resume as soon as possible and I’m looking forward to being back out on the road again soon – though probably not on a bike!’
Fans and friends took to the comments section with their suppoer.
‘All the best Milton for a speedy recovery,’ fellow comic Al Murray shared, while rialsnismulac wrote: ‘Health before humour Milton, wishing you a speedy recovery sir.’
In the comments, Olympic cyclist Sir Chris Hoy, who has incurable stage four prostate cancer, said: ‘Really sorry to hear it mate, best of luck.’
Prostate cancer symptoms
According to the NHS, prostate cancer often has no symptoms at first.
Prostate cancer usually starts to grow on the outer part of the prostate. This means it does not press on the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the penis (urethra) and cause symptoms, until the cancer has grown or spread.
If this happens, it can cause changes to the way you pee, such as:
- finding it difficult to start peeing or straining to pee
- having a weak flow of urine
- ‘stop start’ peeing
- needing to pee urgently or often, or both
- feeling like you still need to pee when you’ve just finished
- peeing during the night
Other symptoms can include:
- lower back pain and losing weight without trying to (these may be symptoms of advanced prostate cancer)
- erectile dysfunction
- blood in your urine or blood in your semen
The comedian rescheduled some gigs for the summer and has now announced 20 more shows to take place across September, October and November in cities and towns that include Exeter, Guildford, St Albans, Newbury, Crewe, Wrexham and Bury St Edmunds.
His stand-up show, Ha!Milton, which is scheduled to end in November, is a play on words, making reference to the hit musical of the same name.
Jones’s career has seen him perform on Live At The Apollo, Lee Mack’s All Star Cast and Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow.
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