Dean Gaffney said he is 'lucky to be alive' following I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here medical check. The former EastEnders actor returned to the hit ITV reality show for its first-ever spin-off.
Viewers have spent the last few weeks watching the action unfold every weeknight after the pre-recorded series hit screens last month from a new location in South Africa instead of the usual Australian jungle.
I'm A Celebrity... South Africa was a brand new spin-off of the ITV favourite, still fronted by Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnely, that was filmed back in September. The series saw a bunch of previously seen campmates whisked off to the new setting of Kruger National Park but with no public vote, they will be competing against each other in a battle to be crowned winner of the 'All Star' series and granted 'legend' status.
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Dean was among the memorable campmates to make a comeback but didn't make it the final, which saw Myleene Klass emerge victorious after making it through to the last two with Jordan Banjor.
However, the 45-year-old has a lot more to be thankful for. Dean has revealed he feels lucky to be alive after medical checks for I’m A Celebrity flagged up warning signs for bowel cancer and he was rushed in for emergency surgery.
The actor, who was eliminated from the all-stars contest in South Africa on Wednesday ahead of Friday’s final, counts himself fortunate to be here at all after what doctors discovered in tests in 2020, while examining him ahead of a possible appearance in ITV’s Covid-safe series of the show at Gwrych Castle in North Wales.
In an exclusive interview with the Mirror, Dean said: “There is no doubt I’m A Celeb and its medical team saved my life. I might not be here today if it wasn’t for them finding what they did.”
He was shocked when doctors found a number of polyps in his large intestine and said he needed an immediate op. He said: “Within hours I was in a hospital gown and under general anaesthetic and they took it out.”
When he came round, the doctor told him: “Had you not come to us today, in three years that could have turned to bowel cancer. You’ve been very lucky.” Dean added: “I still remember his exact words. I feel so, so lucky. It’s made me so careful about checking my stools.”
He is now urging anyone worried about signs of cancer to get checked. And he hopes he can raise awareness of the disease like Bowelbabe fundraiser Dame Deborah James, who died aged 40 in June last year.
Dean, who played Robbie Jackson in EastEnders in various stints from 1993 to 2019 said: “Dame Deborah was an inspiration to so many. I’ve so much respect for her fight and the awareness she raised for bowel cancer. If I can do a small fraction of that for men, it’d make me very happy.”
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