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Australian soap opera legend Ian Smith, best known as Harold Bishop on Neighbors, has revealed he has terminal cancer.
Smith, 85, has played soap favorite Harold on and off for more than 50 years since joining Amazon Freevie Soap in 1987.
In an interview with Australia’s 10 News First on Monday, December 2, the actor said he is currently filming his final scenes after being diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer.
“I found out a few months ago that I have cancer. I have a very aggressive, incurable cancer. They expect me to die.” said Smith, who was diagnosed with pleomorphic cancer.
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“Today is not just my last day on Neighbors, it’s my last day on the job,” Smith said in an interview filmed on his last day on the long-running drama’s set.
In the video, the actor told the cast and staff that he had the “most blessed life” and “met the most beautiful people” during his time on the show.
In a sit-down interview with 10 News First’s Angela Bishop, the actor said he is undergoing chemotherapy and immunotherapy and explained that he is happy to be a “guinea pig” for new treatments.
“I don’t want to die,” he said. “I want to maintain the quality for as long as possible. If I can do that, I’ll be very happy. But I wake up every morning and pray that I’m not in pain because I know that’s just the beginning of the bad part.”
Smith also said the past five years have been deeply affected by the loss of his wife of 50 years, Gail, to cancer in 2019.
“I really…if it hadn’t happened, I think I would be in a lot worse shape right now,” he said. “My life ended there.”
The actor said he still speaks to his wife. “She was the most amazing, beautiful person,” he said.
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Mr. Smith also shared his thoughts on his eventual death. “We’re all going to die someday, but knowing exactly when you’re going to die makes you a completely different person,” he says. “I’ve seen a lot of death. When you’re 85 years old, you see a lot of people. I’ve seen the good, I’ve seen the bad. Very little bad. “Soon I will be one of the few people to die from a polymorphic disease (and) I hope things get better.”
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“Harold bids farewell to Ramsay Street. We are sad to share the sad news that Ian Smith will soon be leaving the beloved role of Harold Bishop. Ian first played Harold in 1987, but over the years It was a great honor to welcome him back to the show after such a long time,” a Neighbors official said. × The account was shared on Monday.
Executive producer Jason Harbison said in a statement: “What the people of Ramsay Street feel about Harold is what we all feel about Ian, and we couldn’t have loved him more. I can’t.” Even though he was facing health issues, we wanted to give Harold a proper send-off. It was a very emotional moment on set as we paid tribute to him and the incredible contribution he made to the show. ”
