John Hurt Given All Clear On Cancer, Four Months After Revealing Diagnosis

Four months after John Hurt revealed his pancreatic cancer diagnosis, the 75-year-old British actor has been given the all clear by his doctors. Appearing at the Man Booker Prize in London on Tuesday evening (13th October), Hurt described his joy at being given the all clear.

John Hurt with his wife, Anwen Rees-Meyers, at the London premiere of Suffragette in October 2015.

“I had a final scan and it’s all gone brilliantly,” Hurt said, as The Daily Mail reports. “I had the final scan yesterday [Monday] and I saw my oncologist this morning [Tuesday]. I am overjoyed, I am thrilled. It all looks great for the future, it’s fantastic.”

Hurt announced his pancreatic cancer in June of this year. In a statement, Hurt explained how he was undergoing treatment and that he, and his medical team, were “optimistic about a satisfactory outcome”.

In the statement Hurt also said that, despite his illness, he would continue working. Hurt has certainly made good on the promise and, during the time he was undergoing chemotherapy, he continued working on the BBC Radio 4 drama Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell. He has also worked on The Last Panthers, the upcoming Sky series in which he stars opposite Samantha Morton.

Hurt, who was knighted in July, has remained optimistic and open about his illness over the past four months. In an interview with the Radio Times in August, Hurt also addressed his illness.

“I can’t say I worry about mortality, but it’s impossible to get to my age and not have a little contemplation of it,” Hurt said. “We’re all just passing time, and occupy our chair very briefly. But my treatment is going terrifically well, so I’m optimistic.”