First Dates bartender Merlin Griffiths has revealed he is battling bowel cancer.
The Channel 4 star, who helps couples break the ice on the hit TV show, is facing a year of treating with doctors telling him he has a 75% chance of living more than five years.
But the barman promised: "I won't let it get the better of me."
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Merlin, 46, from Cheltenham, started feeling a pain in his stomach in June, which he thought was caused by scar tissue in his stomach from a car accident when he was younger.
Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, he described his pain: “I was living with this huge discomfort. It felt like a walnut stuck inside me.”
After a visit to the gastroenterologist, Merlin's doctors discovered a 4.5cm stage three malignant tumour which would need chemotherapy to treat.
Merlin, father of seven-year-old Alix, described the tear-jerking moment he explained the diagnosis to his daughter.
Merlin told the Sunday Mirror: “I said, ‘Dad’s got cancer’. She said, ‘Is that bad, Dad?’
“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.”
The celebrity barman is determined to defeat the illness and keep living his life to its fullest potential.
Merlin added: “I thought, as most people must when they get a diagnosis, ‘Oh f***, I’ve got cancer’.
“I also wanted to know, what are my chances of surviving? It’s terrifying – of course I want to live."
He continued: “I’ve shed a tear in private. But you can choose ‘to do’ or ‘not to do’. I chose to lead my life as normal, to stick to the facts about it, and to keep putting one step in front of the other.”
Merlin, who First Dates fans treasure for his charming personality and winning smile, tends to keep his family life private.
But he decided to share his story with the world before he appears on next month's Stand Up to Cancer Live.
He first broke the news to his partner Lucile and later told his friends and co-workers on the Channel 4 show, including French host Fred Sirieix and waiters Grant Urquhart and CiCi Coleman.
The barman recalled their reactions: “Lucile was working the day I got my diagnosis. I called her in the car on the way home from the hospital.
“I said, ‘Listen sweetie, we’ve found out what it is. It’s a malignant tumour and I need chemo.
“Of course she was incredibly upset. A week later I called some close friends. Fred was lovely and encouraging. He asked me how it has changed my life.
“I told him, ‘You either let it or you don’t. If you let it, it can take you down some pretty dark places’.
“CiCi and Grant were both shocked. Grant said, ‘Christ, man, this sort of thing always seems to happen to the best of people’. That was very sweet.”
Doctors told the barman he has a 75% chance of survival beyond five years, but they are hoping treatment will enable Merlin to enter remission.
Merlin is filming another series of First Dates this year and is maintaining his sense of humour through treatment.
But he sends a powerful messages to his supporters, insisting people with bowel concerns to visit their doctor.
He said: “I’m not the type to normally, but I knew something wasn’t right. It’s easy, especially with embarrassing cancers, to brush it under the carpet.
“But we must all trust our instincts. If you are worrying about something, then get it checked.”
Merlin continued: “I’m keeping that positive outlook, but I’ve a morbid sense of humour.
"I tell people, ‘I have colorectal cancer… it’s a real pain in the arse!'."
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