My cancer has returned and chemo might make me go bald – good job I’m known for my hat, says Only Fools’ Patrick Murray
JUST like his loveable character in Only Fools And Horses, actor Patrick Murray does not have much luck.
He recently discovered cancer has returned in his lungs, 18 months after doctors removed a tumour from the same area.
The diagnosis was particularly devastating for the 66-year-old trilby-wearing sitcom star as he was given the news shortly after doctors said he was cancer free following another op, which involved cutting away two-thirds of his liver to relieve another cancerous tumour.
This time his lung cancer is here to stay, as the disease had spread to his bones, leaving him in excruciating pain and needing a wheelchair.
Patrick now knows he will have to live with cancer for the rest of his life, but he is ready to embrace it — after being told he has years left thanks to advances in chemotherapy.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun from his home in Kent, he says: “I’ve gone in there thinking, ‘The doctor is going to tell me there’s no chance they can sort this out — it’s spreading, it’s in my blood’.
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“But he sat me down and said, ‘We’re going to put you on chemo.
“We should be able to monitor the situation for a few months and years and we’ll keep it under control’.
“I said to him, ‘Did you really say years? I’ll take that’.
‘It’s been absolute agony, murder’
“I came in to get bad news and all of a sudden I’m buzzing.”
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He joked: “I might go bald but luckily I’m famous for wearing a hat.”
Father-of-one Patrick was cast as Rodney Trotter’s dim-witted best pal, dodgy businessman Mickey, in 1983.
He was spotted by producer Ray Butt while starring in a TV ad playing another wide boy, chatting up two women.
Patrick went on to become one of the sitcom’s most recognisable characters, mainly thanks to that trade-mark trilby.
These days he lives a quiet life in a cosy property he shares with wife Anong, who he met while living in Thailand, and their eight-year-old daughter Josie.
But the comedy star has not had much to smile about recently due to his time with cancer, which has severely impacted his life.
The pain caused by the disease returning has been so intense he can barely walk.
He explains: “It has been absolute agony, murder.
“Every time I put my weight on my legs and hips I’m screaming in my head as I’m trying to walk.
“The loo for me is ten yards away, and when I get there I feel like I’ve walked half way round the world.”
Patrick reveals he needs to use a wheelchair to go shopping, as the pain has become so unbearable.
But he has so far resisted buying one.
He says: “I’ve been putting off getting a wheelchair because I thought I wasn’t ready for it yet.
“It’s just not a nice thing to leave behind.
“Morrisons, Asda and Dunelm have provided me with a wheelchair at the door and one of those little buggies.
“It was awesome because it meant I could get around and do my shopping with the missus.
“But I’ve had radiology treatment which is starting to work.
“The pain is getting less, which is fantastic.
“I should be able to walk again soon.”
Since revealing his latest cancer update this week, he has been inundated with messages from well-wishers, including the show’s fans, co-stars and close pal Jimmy White, the legendary snooker player and a cancer survivor.
And he admits the outpouring of support has helped, especially from those who have shared their own upbeat stories of surviving the disease.
Patrick says: “I’ve had loads of messages from people, telling me things like, ‘My friend had cancer in the bones and lived for ten years’. It’s really uplifting.”
The telly favourite has become immersed in cancer treatments, educating himself about the wide range of procedures now available to patients, which has provided more encouragement that he could still have a long life ahead of him.
He explains: “Cancer in the 21st century is a totally different ball game, and people need to get their heads around this.
“Chemo nowadays isn’t a lottery.
“In the past they’d choose between three and four meds and hopefully you made the right choice for the right person.
“But nowadays they can be much more precise in what to give someone for their chemo because there are hundreds of types of chemo medicines, for hundreds of different types of cancers.
“They’re cutting-edge.
Only Fools was the best and worst thing that happened to me. But I don’t regret it one bit. Look how much joy it’s given people.
Patrick Murray
“They’re able to recognise so much more so they can treat them better.
“So the chances for me now are a lot better than they would have been 20 years ago.”
Patrick explains that he is still here today because when he was first diagnosed in August 2021, after complaining about a bloated stomach, he caught it early and doctors were able to act quickly.
And he has warned people of similar ill-health not to be put off by GP waiting times or phone calls being placed on hold for ages, as getting the appointment with a doctor or booking that ultra-sound scan or X-ray could save your life.
He says: “The big thing right now is the one-hour wait on the phone.
“So many people who I speak to now have an issue about waiting for an hour, but I say to them, ‘You’ve got to wait an hour, because it’s your life’.
“If you don’t persevere with that call you could be in for a lot of pain and you’ll be letting down a lot of people.
“There are worse things than waiting for a phone call.
“Try not to get wound up about it and just watch telly while that phone’s blasting away in the corner.
“Just get that appointment done.”
Patrick embarks on chemotherapy next week, having already undertaken radiology, which he says “only lasted for 20 minutes and should be good for years”.
He is now looking forward to starting his “mission”, which is being around for his wife and daughter “for as long as possible”.
Cancer in the 21st century is a different ball game. The chances for me now are a lot better than they would have been 20 years ago.
Patrick Murray
And one of the big incentives for remaining healthy is watching Josie follow in his footsteps in the world of acting.
He explains she is already earning plaudits at her stage school and has even been asked to audition for a role in a West End musical.
But he has reservations about her becoming a child star, believing her school work should take priority.
Patrick says: “Every other week she comes home with a Star of the Week certificate.
“They sent me an email saying they’re considering sending her up to audition for Matilda The Musical.
“But we don’t live in London and if she got the part it would be six months of her travelling back and forth, so her schooling would be interrupted.
“I know 99 per cent of parents would have done it but she should wait until she’s a bit older really.
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“Hopefully, if all this treatment goes smoothly, and I’ll be kicking around for a bit longer, I’ll be able to watch her flourish.
“That’s a big aim for me.”
Curse of the show
PATRICK was born to star in Only Fools And Horses, given he went to school in Peckham, South East London, where the sitcom is set.
Now retired, he says the show was the “best and worst thing that ever happened”.
He explains: “I was probably typecast the worst out of the lot on there.
“I don’t know if it was the hat or the voice . . .
“What I really wanted to be was a character actor and I did that on stage, in movies.
“I played Russians, Italians, murderers, but the offers petered out a bit after Only Fools.
“The show was the best and worst thing that happened to me.
“I had to pay a price for it.”
Patrick says a combination of work drying up and being “constantly recognised” was a reason he moved to Thailand, where he lived for more than a decade.
He still makes appearances at fan conventions, the latest being a two-day event in Milton Keynes, Bucks, last month where Del Boy himself, David Jason, was a speaker.
Patrick adds of his time on Only Fools: “I don’t regret it one bit.
“Look how much joy it’s given to people.”