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'LazyTown' Actor Who Played Robbie Rotten Reveals Cancer Has Returned And This Time It's Incurable

'LazyTown' Actor Who Played Robbie Rotten Reveals Cancer Has Returned And This Time It's Incurable

He appeared in the show for five years

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

Stefán Karl Stefánsson, the actor who played Robbie Rotten in LazyTown, has shared the sad news that his cancer has returned and that this time it is terminal.

Forty-two-year-old Stefán was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2016, he underwent surgery to have his metastases removed last year and it looked as though he was recovering.

However, he has now revealed that the cancer has returned and that it is incurable.

In a Tweet he wrote that it's "not until they tell you you're going to die soon that you realise how short life is."

Ending his heart-breaking post by saying: "Dream big."

In a reply to his initial tweet, one man asked if his cancer had returned. Stefán replied: "Unfortunately it's back and this time they can't operate on it."

He followed up his post with another tweet saying that some days he feels 'very low' and other days he is 'happy about that we have accomplished together'.

His wife Steinunn Ólína Þorsteinsdóttir posted a public post on Facebook, giving more detail about his condition, writing: "Last Friday we got confirmed after a trip to Köben in Jáeindaskan that there are new metastases in Stefán that can not be removed by surgery.

"Even though I knew for a long time that this day would come, it's a difficult turning point. There is no cure for this.

"Now he will have to undergo chemotherapy to try to prolong his life and we hope that this will go as well is possibly can, to improve how he feels and to prolong his life. The first medication was yesterday."

Twitter / Stefán Karl Stefánsson

He and his wife have four children - three daughters and a son.

After his initial diagnoses Mark Valenti, the writer of LazyTown, started a GoFundMe page to help raise money to help out the family. It raised almost $170,000 (£121,969).

Stefán appeared in LazyTown between 2004 and 2007, he then reprised the role from 2013 to 2014.

BBC/LazyTown

The actor took part in a Reddit AMA to open up about his battle with cancer, with one commenter asking Stefán for advice after his father had also been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

The actor replied: "You have to be optimistic and hopeful and take care of yourself so you can support your dad. He will need it. Don't wear a sad face, enjoy every moment as fully as you can and have someone you can talk to.

"We have to live fully always - even in dire times. Hoping everything goes well for your dad. Love to you and your family."

Featured Image Credit: BBC/LazyTown

Topics: World News, TV and Film