John Blackman underwent a massive 12-hour surgery in 2018 to remove a cancerous growth on his mouth and jaw.
And the Hey Hey It's Saturday star has told how his life has changed after the life-saving surgery.
The 76-year-old says the operation robbed him of his career, but not his sense of humor.
“When I went to my surgeon to get the test results he said: 'Look John, your life is going to change completely from now on,'” he tells the Herald Sun.
“Professionally, financially and emotionally, things will never be the same again.” You will never work in front of a microphone again.
John Blackman (pictured) underwent a massive 12-hour operation in 2018 to remove a cancerous growth on his mouth and jaw
“Everything the surgeon said has come true.” Even if I talk to you now, it's painful. “I can’t do what I love,” John continued.
“Luckily I still have my sense of humor, they didn’t take it away.”
In 2022, John faced a second battle when he was diagnosed with brain cancer, which was removed through a six-hour operation leaving a titanium mesh plate in his head, but fortunately his life was saved.
“It could have actually killed me because it was a very aggressive cancer (squamous cell carcinoma) that was growing right on my chest,” he said.
“When I went to my surgeon to get the test results, he said, 'Look, John, your life is going to change completely from now on,' he said.” Pictured with his wife
Blackman previously told hosts Sam Newman and Don Scott about his condition on the You Cannot Be Serious podcast.
He also compared his operation to that of John Farnham, who underwent an 11-and-a-half-hour operation to remove a tumor from his mouth after his family announced he had been diagnosed with cancer six months ago.
“I don’t think it was as radical for him as it was for me because I had my entire lower jaw and teeth removed,” he said.
Blackman, of Hey Hey It's Saturday fame, was diagnosed with a severe case of skin cancer known as basal cell carcinoma in August 2018.
The cancer was discovered during a routine visit to his doctor to check for an inflamed pimple that resulted in numerous surgeries.
“Even talking to you now, it’s painful. I can't do what I love. “Luckily I still have my sense of humor, they didn’t take it away from me,” he said
Blackman's jaw was replaced with part of his femur.
“I had a little pimple under my skin, they scratched it and it turned out to be basal cell carcinoma,” he said.
“They said it was really aggressive and would eat away the rest of my face and eventually get into my brain and I would be brown bread.”
He revealed that another growth had appeared “in a crater,” the result of one of the removal procedures, and began moving toward his brain.
No matter what ordeal he has been through, Blackman still feels lucky to be alive.
“Adversity, no matter how important or smart you think you are, everyone has some adversity in their life,” he said.
Blackman, of Hey Hey It's Saturday fame, was diagnosed with a severe case of skin cancer known as basal cell carcinoma in August 2018