Judas Preist singer, Rob Halford, has revealed that he battled prostate cancer last year.
“I had my little cancer battle a year ago, which I got through and that’s in remission now, thank God,” he told Heavy Consequence.
“That happened while we were all locked down, so things happen for a reason as far as the time sequence of events. I have nothing but gratitude to be at this point in my life, still doing what I love the most,” he added.
While this is the first time Halford has spoken publicly about the cancer diagnosis, he’s included information about his health battle in the new chapter added to the just-released updated paperback edition of Halford’s 2020 memoir, Confess.
In the memoir, Halford reveals that his diagnosis came after testing was done for symptoms that dated back to 2017.
“How did I feel?” he writes. “I felt a combination of shock, horror, and oddly, relief — at least now I know!…’Am I going to die?’ It was all I could think of. I know blokes who’ve died of prostate cancer. ‘No, you’re not going to die, Rob,’ said Dr. Ali.”
Halford also revealed that he underwent a prostatectomy in July 2020 and his prostate gland was removed. He then underwent radiation in April and May and went into remission in June.
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“It’s been a draining year, I can’t deny it, but I’m delighted to have come through it. I feel like I’ve had the most thorough MOT that a Metal God can have.”
Halford writes that he “told hardly anyone I had cancer,” except for his partner and family members. Halford shared that he had dark moments after his diagnosis, but a TV commercial for Phoenix Children’s hospital changed his outlook.
“It showed kids with cancer. Some only babies. They were lying there, with tubes coming out of them, fighting for their lives. They didn’t know what was going on…
“It made me feel totally ashamed of myself. ‘Rob, how dare you be so selfish?’ And from that second, I changed my entire mental attitude towards my disease.”
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