Riverdance star Michael Flatley diagnosed with 'aggressive' cancer

11 January 2023, 18:25 | Updated: 11 January 2023, 19:30

Michael Flatley has revealed he is suffering from an "aggressive form of cancer".

The Irish-American Riverdance star shared the news on his Facebook page on Wednesday evening.

A spokersperson said: "Dear friends, we have something personal to share, Michael Flatley has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer."

"He has undergone surgery and is in the care of an excellent team of doctors."

"No further comments will be made at this time. We ask only for your prayers and well wishes. Thank you. Teamlord."

Mr Flatley had surgery to remove a malignant melanoma on his face in 2003, he said last year.

"So many people who surround me have had cancer and so many people I know have died from it," he told the Sunday Independent.

“I was diagnosed with skin cancer myself and it was a very scary time.

"I sympathise with anybody who is lying on that bed and facing the uncertainty of the future. It can be a frightening place.

"It was a malignant melanoma that I was diagnosed with. It was around 2003 and it was purely by chance that it was noticed."

"We were at the fifth anniversary of Lord of the Dance in Las Vegas and I did an interview with MTV,” he told the Sunday Independent.

"Somebody watched the interview and brought it to the attention of my personal assistant and said: ‘Did you ever notice the brown spot on the side of Michael’s face?’ I had never even noticed it.

"They advised me to go and have it looked at. I did and the doctor took a sample of it there and then."I was flying to Barbados the next day and he gave me a call and asked me to come and see him.

"I said I was leaving for the airport and would he mind if I called him when I got back? He said, ‘no, I need you to come in immediately’.

"That was a little scary. I cancelled the flight and went straight into see him.“He said if I had let it go a few more weeks there was probably nothing he could have done for me."

Last year Mr Flatley said how proud he was of spy thriller Blackbird debuted at the Monaco Streaming Film Festival in 2021.

The dancer and choreographer wrote, directed and also starred in the film, in which he played former MI6 operative Victor Blackley who is drawn back into a world of espionage he left behind.

Mr Flatley picked up the best actor award at the festival for his role in the film, which received poor reviews.

He said that he had been proud to be able to give a host of talent their first roles in the film, adding: "Young people are remarkably talented, and I love the young minds.

"And I'll tell you what, the big motivation for me making Blackbird is all the people that said 'Impossible. You can't do it. You can't be an actor - you're a dancer'. I mean, I've heard it till I'm blue in the face and you just have to go for it.

"And there's so many people out there that have a dream to do something or be somebody or do something great, and they're paralysed by fear. 'What's everybody gonna think? What are other people gonna say?'

"You can't let that stop you, stand up, throw your best shot and let the chips fall where they may."

Mr Flatley added: "Especially the young people, go for it. Don't listen to other people. You have to just go for it. I promise you, you won't be disappointed."