Inside I'm A Celebrity star Russell Watson's brain tumour battle
18 November 2020, 15:15
Russell Watson battled two brain tumours between 2006 and 2007, here's everything we know.
Russell Watson is set to enter the I'm A Celebrity Castle this week in one of the show's classic twists.
The tenor, 53, is best known for his career as a singer songwriter, a career that nearly came to an end when he was diagnosed with two brain tumours.
13 years after recovery and rehabilitation for his voice, we take a look at Russell's brave brain tumour battle.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Russell Watson
Brain tumour diagnosis
Russell was first diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2006.
This was successful treated, however, the singer received the tragic news in 2007 that he had another tumour in his brain.
During the second brain tumour, Russell suffered a haemorrhage while he was sleeping, something that almost killed him.
He explained to Sky News that the tumour had grown quickly, and that he was "lucky to survive".
Treatment
Russell underwent five weeks of intense radiotherapy following the second diagnosis.
During this time, he said he looked "unrecognisable" after his hair fell out and he gained weight due to the steroids.
He said that the toll the illness took on him was both emotional and physical.
During surgery, the tumour was later removed through his nose, an operation that could have ruined his singing voice.
However, he said at the time: "I was more worried about whether I'd see another day than whether I see another theatre."
Recovery
After years of rehabilitation, Russell was able to return to singing and performing.
He once said that overhearing someone say he was "not what he used to be" in a crowd spurred him on to improve following his battle.
He said: "I thought, I'll show you! And I went away, and I worked my arse off to rebuild the infrastructure of my voice, just because of what that one guy said."
Speaking in an interview this year, Russell reflected on his journey, saying: "There's nothing like a near-death experience to put you in tune with your own spirituality and everybody around you.
"If someone had said, 'Would you like two great big lumps in your head?' I'd have said, 'No, I wouldn't'.
"But now, 13 years on, I feel like the person I am today is partly down to the battles I've had to face and it's the fabric of who I am now."
