star Merlin Griffiths has shared an update on his diagnosis, telling his followers that he’s ‘ready’ to have his tumour removed.
In September last year, Merlin – best-known as the bartender on the Channel 4 reality dating series – announced that he had been .
In March this year, he revealed that he was , having explained that his stage three tumour was detected after he went to hospital with symptoms including bloating and nausea.
In a new post shared on Instagram, Merlin commemorated Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, which takes place in April, while sharing a picture of himself sitting in a chair next to a sign that read ‘Bed 4’.
‘Ready as I’ll ever be. Tumour removal time,’ he wrote in the caption, alongside an emoji of two champagne glasses clinking.
Merlin donned a colourful mask for his hospital visit, featuring a lively pattern of unicorns, stars and hearts.
Numerous people rushed to share their support for him in the comments underneath the photo, with First Dates waiter Grant Urquhart writing: ‘Good luck mate,’ with a heart emoji.
‘Sending you so much love,’ said Laura Tott, who works as a waitress on the show, while former EastEnders star Adam Woodyatt also wished him luck.
Chef Sabrina Ghayour commented: ‘Oh Merlin, I can’t bring myself to like this post because I hate to know you’re going through this but MY GOD I’ll be wishing you all the best and praying the op is successful and one day soon you’ll be C free! Xxxx.’
First Date waiters David Marc and Austin Ventour also added: ‘Good luck Merlin,’ and ‘Love you mate see you soon!’ respectively.
When Merlin first announced his diagnosis, he explained that he was maintaining a ‘positive outlook’, but admitted that he has a ‘morbid sense of humour’.
He recalled the moment he told his daughter Alix, who was seven at the time and who he shares with his wife Lucille, that he had cancer, telling her that while it’s ‘very serious’, he thinks ‘it should be okay’.
‘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,’ he said.
