Rhod Gilbert cancer: what did he say about postponing The Book of John tour dates, is he having surgery?

Comedian Rhod Gilbert has postponed a string of live shows after discovering he requires additional surgery following his cancer treatment.

The Welsh stand-up, 54, announced in July he was being treated at the Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff and would be “disappearing for a while” to focus on treatment.

Gilbert had previously revealed he had been diagnosed with stage four cancer. Speaking during a recent interview with BBC Radio Wales, Gilbert said he was “feeling good” and that he felt like he is “recovering day by day”.

At the time, Gilbert, 54, did not specify what type of cancer he was being treated for, or when he was diagnosed. However on Tuesday he shared another update and said he was suffering gallstones and recurring gallbladder infections that “kick like a donkey” and needed surgery early in the New Year.

Gilbert has supported the Velindre Cancer Centre for years as a patron, and has now had surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy there. The comedian previously said he “never imagined” he would be a patient there, but added he knows he is “in the best possible hands”.

Who is Rhod Gilbert?

Gilbert is a Welsh comedian and TV and radio presenter best known for his appearances on panel shows like Would I Lie to You?, QI, Mock the Week, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Have I Got News for You, 8 out of 10 Cats and Taskmaster.

He was born on 18 October 1968 in Carmarthen in Wales and attended Maridunum Comprehensive School before going on to study languages at Exeter University.

In an interview with WalesOnline in 2010, Gilbert talked about how he struggled with painful shyness to a point where, for the first few weeks at university, he couldn’t even make eye contact with anyone.

He said: “For three weeks, I didn’t talk to anyone, look at anyone or make contact with anyone. I was so nervous, I couldn’t even bear the thought of eating at the canteen, despite the fact I’d paid for meals.

“I would sit in my room and watch from the window as other students walked across to the canteen and then I’d go to a garage and buy myself a sandwich or a pasty. It was easier that way. I didn’t have to talk to anyone.”

He said that he “didn’t even have the guts to knock on the bloke’s door next door to say hello”. But Gilbert managed to see it through and ended up getting a 2:1 in French and Spanish, “despite the fact I only went to two lectures out of 60 in the final year”.

After graduating from university, Gilbert spent eight years in market research - he only actually got into comedy due to constant encouragement from his girlfriend at the time.

He said: “I never meant to do it, but my girlfriend at the time, a lovely girl called Bryony Worthington, kept telling me I was funny and should give it a go.

“She nagged me constantly for those eight years, taking me to comedy gigs and telling me I should do something about it because she reckoned I was a funny bloke.”

Since then, Gilbert has performed comedy on stages all around the world, with tours like 1984, Knocking on Heaven’s Door, Who’s Eaten Gilbert’s Grape and The Book of John, and has released three stand up DVDs - The Award-Winning Mince Pie in 2009, The Cat That Looked Like Nicholas Lyndhurst in 2010 and The Man with the Flaming Battenberg Tattoo in 2012.

What did he say in his latest update?

Seven of his January shows for h, in locations such as Bath and Swansea, will now be pushed back to the summer. He wrote on Facebook: “Thanks again for all your kind words and support. As you probably know I’m recovering well from my cancer treatment and can’t wait to get back to work next year. Happy days.

“Less happy days, I’ve been thrown another curveball in the form of gallstones and recurring gallbladder infections that kick like a donkey and need hospital treatment. I am having surgery to remove the offending gallbladder, and this is scheduled to happen early in the New Year.

“So I hate doing this, but I am going to have to postpone my January tour shows. I genuinely can’t wait to get back on stage, but on doctor’s advice, I’ll have to wait a little longer and we are postponing the remaining 7 shows.”

When did he announce his cancer diagnosis?

On 14 July of this year, the comedian announced that he would be “disappearing for a while” to receive treatment for cancer.

Posting a message on his website and social media accounts, Gilbert wrote: “As a proud patron of Velindre Cancer Centre,  I’ve trekked the world, hosted chaotic quizzes and star-studded comedy nights.

“I’ve met and made friends with so many inspirational staff, patients and their families.  It has been a huge part of my life for the last ten years.

“So while I never imagined that I would be a patient here, I know better than anyone that I am in the best possible hands. The NHS care I’m receiving is incredible.

“I wouldn’t wish this on anyone...but who knows, maybe I’ll come out the other end with a new stand-up show and a 40 minute rant about orange squash.

“Thank you everyone for your support over the last few weeks and months (and years). I’ll be disappearing for a while and won’t be commenting further, at least not for now, whilst I focus on my recovery.

“Rhod x”

At the end of the post, Gilbert linked to the Velindre fundraising website, where you can make a donation.

In a statement on its Facebook page, Velindre Cancer Centre said: “For over 10 years, patron Rhod Gilbert has provided exceptional support for Velindre Cancer Charity and has always been an advocate for the passionate efforts of our Velindre Cancer Centre staff, donors and fundraisers.

“Rhod has become a special member of our Velindre family and we are sure you will join us in sending him your very best wishes during this time.”

What did he say recently about his cancer?

During an interview with BBC Radio Wales, Gilbert opened up about the symptoms that he suffered from prior to his diagnosis, explaining that he had been forced to cancel shows because they were becoming so severe.

He said: “I had a terribly sore throat, tightness through my neck. I was having to cancel shows because I couldn’t breathe. I was having all sorts of problems and we couldn’t get to the bottom of it.”

He explained that his symptoms had progressively gotten worse whilst he was fundraising for the Velindre Cancer Centre in Cuba, and that in May, he noticed “lumps started popping up in places they shouldn’t be”.

Gilbert said: “It turns out I’ve got stage four cancer. I also caught Covid on that walk as well. I came home with cancer and Covid from a Velindre fundraising trek... the irony of that! I went as a Velindre patron and came home as a patient.”

He revealed that he has gone through chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery, although is yet to find out if any of the treatments “have worked”.

Who is Rhod Gilbert’s wife Sian Harries?

Gilbert married his longtime girlfriend Sian Harries in August 2013. Harries is a Welsh writer and comedian who is best known for her work on the sitcom Man Down, which starred Greg Davies (Taskmaster, Cuckoo), and Tourist Trap, which was a Welsh TV mockumentary style series which starred Sally Phillips (Breeders, Miranda).

She also wrote and appeared in the radio sketch comedy Here Be Dragons, and was nominated for Best Short Film for NeckFace at the BAFTA Cymru Awards in 2018, which she co-produced, wrote and starred in.

In 2020, she and Gilbert launched their podcast together, called The Froth, and the following year Harries was named as “one to watch” by the Edinburgh TV Festival.

Chatting to Wales Arts Review in 2013, Harries said that comedy was something that she had “always loved”. She said: “I’ve always loved comedy, since I was little; Porridge, Blackadder, Fawlty Towers – I grew up with them. I remember whenever we had to do any kind of creative writing in English class or whatever; mine were always trying to be funny.

“When I was a child – anything I thought was funny, I wrote it down, so I’ve got still got all this stuff from when I was quite little.

“I’ve got notebooks filled with things from when I was about 8 onwards, and you can see the joke process starting to form in my diaries – and some of it so bad! Things like “today I liked something really unusual – school dinners!””

Do they have children?

Gilbert and Harries do not have any children together. Last year, Gilbert took part in a BBC documentary exploring the stigma around male infertility, called Stand Up to Infertility. In the opening minutes of the programme, Gilbert states: “I suffer from a condition called “sh*t jizz””.

Prior to the documentary being aired, Gilbert spoke about his issues with fertility during an appearance on BBC Breakfast in which he said: “I’m someone who’s been through it, it is personal.”

He added: “I’m the target audience for this documentary and by that I mean I’m trying to get men talking and get past the stigma and the embarrassment of talking about it, but I’ve got to overcome that myself.”

Chatting to WalesOnline, Gilbert also said: “From the moment I first pitched this to BBC Wales I was in two minds. Every day were we filming I was thinking “is this really what I want?” and you can see that in me, it comes across - being the face of infertility, for Christ’s sake?

"And I still feel like that, I’m doing it because somebody has to do it, I can’t say I’m looking forward to it going out - I don’t want it going out - but it’s important.”