First Dates bartender Merlin Griffiths is set to have “robotic surgery” in under a month, as he continues his fight against bowel cancer.
Last year the 46-year-old dad of one was told by doctors he has a 75% chance of living beyond five years, after medics found a 4.5cm stage three tumour.
Yesterday, the bartender, who is known for being a calm and friendly presence on Channel 4's First Dates, posted on Twitter: "Operation scheduled. 3 weeks to get my s**t together. Robotic surgery, welcome to the future!"
He later thanked fans on the post for their kind words, writing: "Thank you to everyone wishing me well. X... May your lives be prosperous and filled with empathy and happiness."
In robotic surgery, surgeons control the arms of a machine with four limbs which are holding surgical tools and a camera. The doctors view the operation through a magnified screen.
In September last year, Merlin revealed his diagnosis in an interview with Sunday Mirror, explaining that he faces a year of treatment, while vowing: "I won't let it get the better of me."
He described the moment he had to explain his diagnosis to his seven-year-old daughter Alix.
He recalled: “I said, ‘Dad’s got cancer’. She said, ‘Is that bad, Dad?’
“I said, ‘Yes, it’s very serious but I think it should be OK. Modern medicine’s great and if anything changes I’ll let you know.'
“She understands that people can die but I told her cancer comes in different varieties and in different ways too – and that many people come through it.”
The TV bartender, who also owns a pub in Lancashire, started getting feeling pain in June, but thought it was caused by scar tissue in his stomach from a car accident when he was 20.
Merlin says: “I thought, as most people must when they get a diagnosis, ‘Oh f***, I’ve got cancer’.
“I also wanted to know, what are my chances of surviving? It’s terrifying – of course I want to live.
“I’ve shed a tear in private. But you can choose ‘to do’ or ‘not to do’. I chose to lead my life as normal, to stick to the facts about it, and to keep putting one step in front of the other.”
He told his partner Lucile, 40, and then his friends on the BAFTA-winning show.
They included French maitre d’hotel Fred Sirieix, and waiters Grant Urquhart and CiCi Coleman.
Merlin, originally from Cheltenham, Gloucs, says: “Lucile was working the day I got my diagnosis. I called her in the car on the way home from the hospital.
“I said, ‘Listen sweetie, we’ve found out what it is. It’s a malignant tumour and I need chemo.
“Of course she was incredibly upset. A week later I called some close friends. Fred was lovely and encouraging. He asked me how it has changed my life.
“I told him, ‘You either let it or you don’t. If you let it, it can take you down some pretty dark places’".
