First Dates star Merlin has provided fans with another update on his health, following his two-year long battle with bowel cancer.
Merlin Griffiths is best known as a TV barman, the 49-year-old first made a name for himself on Channel 4's First Dates.
The reality TV star revealed that he was cleared of bowel cancer in June 2023, and also revealed that there were no signs of reoccurrence in January this year, sharing the news from his doctor on Instagram.
Merlin announced that he was clear 'for now' in the caption, saying: "Final Year 1 scan results are in, and it's ALL CLEAR for now. Nice. Thank you #NHS #bowelcancerawareness."
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Seven months on from his last update, Merlin has made another announcement.
Via the Daily Star in partnership with SodaStream, that he is unfortunately currently suffering from another health condition.
Opening up on his health, Merlin revealed: "So we're two years in with no evidence of disease, as they call it, neg, and that's good. So yeah, I'm currently just learning to slowly get back to things.
"It's left me with a condition called Low Anterior Resection Syndrome. It's a relatively new condition that's being acknowledged these days in relation to my particular operation for bowel cancer, and I'm learning to manage it.
"I'll never quite be the same again, but I'm here. Slowly but surely, we'll get back to a new normal... I think part of me still processing it all but you just have to keep going," he concluded.
During an appearance on BBC Breakfast back in January, he also opened up on the 'fallout' of his health battle.
He said: "As anyone who has been through with cancer and come out of the other side knows, there are always consequences to something like this that are life-changing.
"I have a condition called Low Anterior Resection Syndrome now to deal with, but that’s all right. We live with it, we move forward. The main thing is, one is alive and able to smile and able to work at the bar in the restaurant."
According to the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Low Anterior Resection Syndrome is a collection of symptoms patients have after undergoing a resection or removal of part of or the entire rectum.
These symptoms may include the following:
1) Frequency/urgency of stools
2) Clustering of stools (numerous bowel movements over a few hours)
3) Stool incontinence
4) No stool for a day or two or more and then numerous bowel movements another day and/or increased gas.
Topics: Cancer, Health, TV, Channel 4, First Dates
Joshua Nair