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First Dates' Merlin Griffiths rushed back to hospital after bowel cancer 'complications'
28 June 2022, 10:18
Merlin Griffiths from First Dates announced he had been diagnosed with bowel cancer last year.
First Dates’ favourite Merlin Griffiths has shared a photo from hospital after experiencing ‘complications’.
The much loved TV star announced last year he had been diagnosed with bowel cancer, with doctors discovering he had a stage three tumour.
In April, 46-year-old Merlin underwent surgery to remove the 4.5cm tumour and stayed in hospital for six days.
But now he has returned to hospital, sharing a picture on Instagram from his bed.
He told his followers: "Oh... Squibwibble. #complications. # nhs. #BowelCancerAwareness."
Friends and family were quick to comment, with one person writing: "Sending you so much love, hope it gets better soon xx."
Someone else wrote: "Oh no so sorry to see this. Sending a million positive vibes ❤️”
While a third said: "Sending positive vibes and wishing you better. You got this!"
A fourth added: "Get well soon ❤️ sending lots of positive thoughts."
After his surgery, Merlin updated his fans with another photo on Instagram.
He wrote at the time: "And home again. 6 days from surgery. #NHS #davincisurgicalsystem is quite something.
"It’s taken weeks off hospitalisation time! Road to recovery next. #cancer #bowelcancer #stoma."
It comes after the dad-of-one was told he has a 75% chance of living beyond five years by doctors.
In an interview with the Mirror, he relayed the moment he told his seven-year-old daughter Alix - who he shares with his partner Lucile, 40 - about the diagnosis.
“I said, ‘Dad’s got cancer’. She said, ‘Is that bad, Dad?’,” he said.
“I said, ‘Yes, it’s very serious but I think it should be OK. Modern medicine’s great and if anything changes I’ll let you know.'
“She understands that people can die but I told her cancer comes in different varieties and in different ways too – and that many people come through it.”
Merlin has been on First Dates since it started back in 2013 and also owns a pub in Lancashire.
