EastEnders actor Christopher Timothy has revealed he has been privately battling cancer.
The actor plays Ted Murray in the BBC soap and has spoken for the first time about his long battle with prostate cancer that he kept secret even from his children.
Christopher explained how he discovered he had the cancer shortly after his first wife’s death almost a decade ago.
Because of this he decided to keep his battle private to spare his children the worry of his health woes.
He told the Sunday Express: “The death of their mum was a shock and my eldest daughter said at the funeral, ‘Please look after yourself, Dad.’ I realised then that it was right not to tell them.”
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However he did reveal that he told his children about the illness once he was given the all-clear.
The actor has now been clear of the disease for five years.
He decided to speak out to raise awareness of the disease alongside Prostate Cancer UK after learning it can be hereditary.
“I have four sons,” he said adding: “Three of them are biologically mine and they are at significant risk, but not as high as my adopted son who is at an even higher risk.”
Statistics have shown that one in four black men are at risk of the disease compared with one in eight men generally.
Christopher added: “I have now urged them to get tested and they absolutely will.
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“I will nag them about it. I want to give them the gift of knowledge on Father’s Day. Knowledge is power.”
Christopher’s character Ted recently lost his wife Joyce in heartbreaking scenes, and has been battling depression throughout his life.
He will soon discover that one of the Taylor family stole money from him that meant he and wife Joyce missed the chance to see their son in Australia before Joyce’s shock death.
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