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Actor Who Played Gunther On Friends Diagnosed With Stage 4 Prostate Cancer

Actor Who Played Gunther On Friends Diagnosed With Stage 4 Prostate Cancer

James Michael Tyler said the disease has spread to other parts of his body and admits 'eventually it's gonna probably get me'.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

Friends star James Michael Tyler has revealed he has been diagnosed with Stage 4 prostate cancer.

The actor played Gunther in the hit TV show and explained how he's been battling the diseased since 2018, however wanted to go public to raise awareness.

The 59-year-old told TODAY how the disease had already spread to other parts of his body by the time doctors identified it three years ago.

He said: "I was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, which had spread to my bones. I've been dealing with that diagnosis for almost the past three years... it's stage 4. Late stage cancer. So eventually, you know, it's gonna probably get me."

"I was 56 years old at the time, and they screen for PSA, which is prostate-specific antigen. That came back at an extraordinarily high number.

"So I knew immediately when I went online and I saw the results of my blood test and blood work that there was obviously something quite wrong there.

"Nearly immediately, my doctor called me and said, 'Hey, I need you to come in tomorrow because I suspect that you may have quite a serious problem with your prostate.'"

Many questioend why the iconic Friends character was missing from the recent HBO reunion episode.

He was included in the show via video-link, however there were fans all over the world who wondered what stopped him from being there physically.

"I wanted to be a part of that, and initially I was going to be on the stage, at least, with them, and be able to take part in all the festivities," Mr Tyler said.

"It was my decision not to be a part of that physically and make an appearance on Zoom, basically, because I didn't wanna bring a downer on it, you know? I didn't want to be like, 'Oh, and by the way, Gunther has cancer.'"

The actor said he started hormone therapy when he was first diagnosed, which 'worked amazingly for about a year' and allowed him to 'go about life regularly'.

"All I had to do was take a pill in the morning and the night, and boom, life was pretty much normal," he said.

However, he missed a test and that was as the pandemic was getting into full swing. Missing that meeting meant he wasn't aware the disease was starting to mutate.

He wants people to get tested as soon as they're eligible and hopefully they will have a better shot at beating it.

Featured Image Credit: NBC

Topics: Entertainment, Celebrity