The wife of Slade vocalist Noddy Holder has revealed that he was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer five years ago.
Suzan Holder announced the 77-year-old music icon’s diagnosis and battle with the disease in her column for Great British Life magazine.“Five years ago we were given the devastating news that he [Noddy] had oesophageal cancer and only had six months to live,” she wrote towards the beginning of her piece.
She went on to describe the diagnosis as a “total bombshell”, adding: “We coped with it the only way we could, by hunkering down, sticking together and doing everything we could to survive it.
“We told only immediate close family and friends and I will never apologise to those we did not confide in, only to those who were forced to suffer pain and anguish alongside us as we attempted to navigate our way through this new and horrifying world. They held our hands and kept our confidence. We truly found out who our real friends are.”
Suzan went on to say that regardless of the “bleak” prognosis, Noddy was able to cope with the situation with “amazing good humour and breath-taking bravery.” She also explained that the singer underwent a “a gruelling course of experimental treatment as part of a brand-new trial of intense chemotherapy.”
The Slade frontman responded well to the new treatments with Suzan saying: “There were no guarantees, no one knew if it would have any effect, let alone work miracles, but he responded well. As anyone who has received a cancer diagnosis will know, the experts never like to use the word “cure”, but here we are five years later and he’s feeling good and looking great.”
She attributes his recovery to his positive attitude and said: “Noddy has always been great at living in the moment, not hankering for the past or worrying about the future.
“That attitude served him well and a lot of his recovery has been credited to his positive mental attitude. You need so much mental strength to get through something like this. I’ve always been impressed by my husband’s focus and determination but now I am completely in awe.”
The vocalist was able to return to the stage this summer alongside Tom Seals. Suzan described his musical return was “a sight I thought I would never see again.”
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