NEIGHBOURS star Ian Smith has given a shock health update after quitting the soap following a terminal cancer diagnosis. The 86-year-old actor, who plays lovable Harold Bishop, stepped down from the show last month to undergo life-extending treatment. 4 Actor Ian Smith has given fans an update on his cancer battle Credit: Ruckas 4 The star acknowledges he won't be cured Credit: Ruckas Now he's been given a huge boost after doctors initially told him he could be dead by March.
He told TV Week : " I did a PET scan and the words, I believe, were 'significant metabolic change, significant shrinkage of tumour '. "I've gone from a threat of dying this coming March to maybe a few more months..
. and now, who knows? "It's not a cure and it won't be a cure, but I certainly have got a year, maybe two. That's amazing.
It really is." READ MORE ON NEIGHBOURS big comeback Neighbours legend returns to soap 24 years after quitting Ramsay Street GOOD FRIENDS Anne Charleston returns to Neighbours as Harold star quits Ian has played the role of Harold Bishop on and off since 1987 and is one of the programme's most recognisable faces. He first left the soap in 1991 but returned in 1996, staying a further 13 years.
Ian then departed his role once again in 2009 before coming back in 2011 and 2015. The Harold Bishop actor then made a triumphant and permanent return to the soap in 2022 after rejoining as a series regular. Most read in News TV HOST MYSTERY 'What's the point?', cry Lorraine fans as sta.
