Ben Stiller has revealed in a candid new interview that he was diagnosed with “immediately aggressive” prostate cancer two years ago, at the age of 48.

The actor, speaking on Howard Stern’s SiriusXM radio show on Tuesday (October 4th), went public with his secret battle for the first time.

“It came out of the blue for me,” Stiller, now 50 year old, said. “I had no idea. At first, I didn't know what was gonna happen. I was scared. It just stopped everything in your life because you can't plan for a movie because you don't know what's gonna happen.”

Ben StillerBen Stiller revealed his secret battle with prostate cancer two years ago

The comedy actor, who last appeared in the long-awaited sequel Zoolander 2 earlier in 2016, has since had surgery to treat the disease. He was joined on Stern’s show with his surgeon, Edward Schaeffer, and revealed his experience to the world.

Although Stiller had no family history of the condition, his doctor detected it using a specific test during an annual physical two years ago. If it hadn’t been for this, he believes it would still be undetected now.

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“If I hadn't gotten the test - my doctor started giving it to me at 46 - I still wouldn't know,” the star continued, urging men to get themselves tested as a matter of routine.

Soon after the interview went out, Stiller later published an essay detailing his fight on Medium. While the test he was given – the PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) – is controversial in the scientific community, he believes it ought to be at least offered to men as a method of early detection of prostate cancer.

“Afterwards, it just gives you an appreciation for life,” he said of his treatment back on Stern’s show. “Every six months I'm taking my PSA test to make sure I'm clear. I wanted to talk about it because of the test. I feel like the test saved my life.”

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