Neighbor star Ian Smith has provided a shocking health update, a month after he quit his role on the series amid a terminal battle with cancer.
The soap opera icon, 86, revealed that her doctor recently told her that she was responding well to treatment and could live longer than originally projected.
“I had a PET scan and I think the words were ‘significant metabolic change, significant tumor shrinkage,'” Smith said. television week.
“I’ve gone from a death threat next March to maybe a few more months… and now, who knows?”
Smith added that his doctor told him that if all goes well he could live years longer than expected.
‘It’s not a cure and it won’t be, but I certainly have a year, maybe two. That’s amazing. It really is.’
Neighbor star Ian Smith (pictured) has provided a shocking update on his health, a month after he quit his role on the series amid a terminal battle with cancer.
The soap opera icon, 86, revealed that her doctor recently told her that she was responding well to her treatment and could live longer than originally projected.
Then he said he was already making plans for how he would enjoy his new life: growing tomatoes in his garden.
‘When I planted them, I said I would plant them but I don’t know who is going to eat them. I’m about to eat them next week!
“It’s pretty funny, because there was a time when I was supposed to die next March.
I was giving things away and now I feel like calling people and saying, ‘Give it back to me!’ I’ll keep living, if you don’t mind. “I feel like I’ve been reborn.”
In December, Smith, who has played Harold Bishop on the Australian series since 1987, publicly revealed his battle with cancer and said the prognosis was dire.
“A few months ago I discovered that I have cancer,” says the 86-year-old. he told Ten News.
‘That I have a very aggressive cancer that has no cure and they expect me to die.’
Australian actor He described the cancer as “non-repairable.”
“I’ve gone from a death threat next March to maybe a few more months… and now, who knows?” he said
Bishop’s character will get a fitting send-off from the series, executive producer Jason Herbison told the Herald of the sun.
“It was a very emotional moment on set when we paid tribute to him and the incredible contribution he has made to the show,” he said.
Herbison added that Smith, like his character, is deeply “loved” by both the show and the audience.
A Network 10 spokesperson said in a statement: “We are deeply saddened to learn of Ian Smith’s cancer diagnosis.
‘A beloved member of the Neighbors family, Ian has been the heart and soul of the show since he first arrived on Ramsay Street in 1987.
‘Ian has brought joy, laughter and inspiration to audiences around the world for decades.
“Together with the cast, crew and all his fans around the world, we will support Ian in any way we can during this difficult time.”
Smith joined the show as Harold Bishop in 1987, before leaving the series in 1991.
The actor returned again in 1996, this time staying in the role for over a decade before leaving again in 2009.
He reprized the role in 2011 and again in 2015, before recently returning in 2022 as a series regular.
Smith will continue to appear on screen until April 2026.