Slade's Noddy Holder reveals secret five year cancer battle in which he was given six months to live

19 October 2023, 16:02 | Updated: 19 October 2023, 16:22

Slade frontman Noddy Holder 'was given six months to live' after being diagnosed with oesophageal cancer five years ago.

The 77-year old musician and actor fronted the band, known for singles Merry Xmas Everybody and Far Far Away, until his departure in 1992.

His wife, Suzan, said he was treated at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester where he "agreed to a gruelling course of experimental treatment as part of a brand-new trial of intense chemotherapy".

She said he coped "with amazing good humour and breath-taking bravery".

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"Five years ago we were given the devastating news that he had oesophageal cancer and only had six months to live," she said in Cheshire Life magazine.

"I'm sorry if that comes as a bit of a shock; it came as a total bombshell to us too.

"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."

Speaking about the chemotherapy, she said: "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."

Mrs Holder said she was in "awe" of Noddy and praised the hospital for his treatment.

"The care and expertise we experienced at The Christie was excellent," she said.

"In addition, 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."

This summer, Noddy performed in his home town Walsall, in the West Midlands, at Wimborne in Dorset and at The Lowry in Salford, Greater Manchester after he was invited back on stage by singer Tom Seals.