Comedian Milton Jones has cancelled several tour dates after confirming he needs surgery following a prostate cancer diagnosis.
The TV star wrote in a statement to fans that he was ‘so sorry’ to cancel several dates for his ongoing Hamilton Live Tour.
He wrote: ‘This difficult decision comes following a recent diagnosis of treatable prostate cancer. I’ll be undergoing surgery soon and will need time afterwards to recover.’
The affected cities include Leeds, Coventry, Basingstoke, Sterts, Launceston, Durham, Hexham, Ilkley, Wakefield, Lichfield, Tunbridge Wells, Portsmouth, and Lyme Regis.
Further dates in Bridlington, Stroud and London will be rescheduled for autumn with hoped for dates later in the year to remain unaffected.
The 60-year-oldstand-up comic concluded: ‘Thank you for your support and respecting my privacy during this time. This decision has not been taken lightly.
‘Trust me, abnormal service will resume as soon as possible and I’m looking forward to being back out on the road again soon – though probably not on a bike!’
Fans flooded the comments with support.
‘Health before humour Milton, wishing you a speedy recovery sir,’ rialsnismulac wrote on Instagram.
‘Really sorry to hear it mate, best of luck,’ decorated cyclist Sir Chris Hoy, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2023, echoed.
‘All the best Milton for a speedy recovery,’ fellow comic Al Murray shared.
‘All the best Milton for successful surgery and recovery,’ the hopefilledfamily added.
‘Oh wow mate, so sorry to hear that. You take your time and take it easy. We’ll still be here,’ johnnyd_cm echoed.
Various high-profile figures have opened up about their own experience with cancer in the recent months including former BBC star Giles Coren who shared his diagnosis in January.
Elsewhere, radio presenter Chris Stark encouraged men to check themselves regularly after a routine appointment led to him receiving a testicular cancer diagnosis.
And, Sir Chris has remained vocal about his life after his stage0four prostate cancer diagnosis.
What is the prostate?
Only men have a prostate gland and it is usually the size and bears similar shape to a walnut. It does grow as you get older. The prostate sits under the bladder and surrounds the uretha – which is the tube that men urinate and ejaculate through.
The prostates job is to make semen which is the fluid that contains sperm.
Prostate cancers can develop when cells start to grow abnormally. Some men develop prostate cancer that is more likely to spread.
For more information about prostate cancer visit https://prostatecanceruk.org.
In November, he shared his hoped for the future.
He said: ‘Touch wood – the diagnosis was two to four years, but actually if you look beyond that it can be many years.
‘There’s people out there that are still around who’ve been in the similar situation for 20 years. So you know there’s hope.
‘There is hope and I’m very lucky that there is treatment for me. But also you don’t know it could be less than that. So that is the target you know – crack on for many years, ideally.’
Meanwhile, the Live at the Apollo star is known for being a regular on Mock the Week for over a decade, right up to its cancellation in 2022.
Speaking about his experience on the show to Metro a couple of years ago, he agreed the show became more ‘balanced’ after diversifying the panel beyond ‘seven white blokes.’
At the time, he added: ‘I’ve never found it an easy show to do. I like all the people on it. But if you think you can turn up and have a chat with your friends, forget it. You got to have things to talk about.
‘While you don’t get exactly the questions, if you’ve seen the news in the last week, you know what’s going to be happening. You need to do your homework.
‘Two-thirds of that won’t be used in the edit. I mean, if you’re lucky and do it again, you’ll find the same subjects coming back and maybe you’ll be able to use it some other time.’
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