Rhod Gilbert's Cancer Journey and Warning

Comedian Rhod Gilbert has admitted dismissing his cancer symptoms as 'a sore throat' and is warning others not to make the same mistake. The Never Mind The Buzzcocks panelist, 56, was diagnosed with stage four head and neck cancer in 2022 before getting the all-clear last year.

Along with discomfort while swallowing, he suffered a persistent cough, but GPs simply advised him he was over-using his voice. The NHS advises anyone who has suffered a cough for more than three weeks to make an appointment with their GP.

"Luckily that lump popped up," he told the Mirror this week. "If that lump hadn't have popped up, I don't know what would've happened, I would dread to think."

Head and neck cancer is the eighth most common form of cancer overall in the UK, although it is two to three times more common in men than in women. About 12,500 new cases are diagnosed each year according to Cancer Research UK, and incidences are on the rise. About 4,000 people die from the disease annually.

Increasing Cases Among Younger Patients

Doctors have recently warned they are seeing throat cancer cases in 'much younger patients' and suggest oral sex is driving the worrying trend. A report revealed hundreds more people are dying from the disease than before the Covid pandemic with almost a 50 per cent increase in cases since 2013.

"I think that one of the problems we've got is some cancers don't have any symptoms," Gilbert said. "With some of them, the symptoms could well be something else and they're more likely to be something else."

The Impact on Rhod Gilbert's Life

The funnyman is performing throughout the UK in 2024 and 2025 on his Rhod Gilbert & The Giant Grapefruit tour and says his illness influenced some of the content of his show.

"Grapefruit, partly a nod to the tumour that was in my neck," Rhod explained. "Well this is what to do when life starts throwing grapefruits at you which is even worse in my opinion but it's a happy show; it's an uplifting show."