Dolph Lundgren has admitted that he has considered whether his steroid use contributed to his cancer, for which was told he had just years to live.
Lundgren was obviously one of the biggest stars of the 1980s and 1990s, both in terms of reputation and physical stature.
The Swede starred in films like Rocky IV and Universal Soldier, as well as continuing to act right up until the present day.
However, eight years ago doctors found a tumour in his kidney, which was removed, and things started to get back to normal.
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Then, in 2020 he started to notice some symptoms again and doctors confirmed that there were ‘more tumours’ in his abdomen.
“At that point, it started to hit me that this is kind of something serious,” the 65-year-old said on podcast In Depth with Graham Bensinger.
"They had a really good guy there who was put in charge of my care," he continued.
Lundgren then asked him the difficult question about how much time he had left.
He said: "I think he said two to three years, but I could tell in his voice that he probably thought it was less.
"I thought it was it for sure."
On that same podcast, he admitted to wondering whether the steroid use he was involved with in his earlier career could have contributed to his later health problems.
Lundgren said: “Steroids? Yeah, I tried steroids back in the 80s [and] 90s.
“I don’t know if that’s anything to do with the cancer, of course it struck me that it could be something to do with it.
“I thought about it, because you always think that you’ve made a mistake in your health, [or] you know, healthcare, why you get cancer.
“Maybe it’s only me, but you kind of blame yourself to some degree for it.
“But – you know – I think maybe testosterone, there’s some connection between testosterone therapy and HGH – growth hormone therapy – and cancer for some people.”
He continued: “I was on steroids when I was younger and for a while, on and off maybe for 10 years between mid-80s Rocky until mid-90s, I would say.
“Depending on the kind of movie I made, if it was very physical then maybe I would do more.
“I heard the real bodybuilders, how much they’d do.
“Like testosterone, you can do 150 milligrams a week and it’s quite a bit, that’s maybe what I would do.
“I’d heard guys who were doing 1000, maybe 1,200 milligrams a week, and anabolic steroids on top of it.
“I just stopped doing it, because…I stopped doing movies where I took my shirt off in every scene.”
Still, Lundgren is enjoying whatever time he has left, having just married his 27-year-old girlfriend Emma Krokdal.
He’s also trying to look at the positive side, concluding: "You kind look at your life and go, ‘I’ve had a freaking great life’.
“I’ve led like five lifetimes."
Topics: TV and Film, Health, Celebrity
Tom Wood