First Dates star Merlin Griffiths has announced that he is ‘back home’ after being hospitalized with ‘complications’ related to his colon cancer.
The 47-year-old, who works as a bartender on the popular Channel 4 series, announced in September last year that he had the disease.
He recently had surgery to have a tumor removed and is said to remain ‘positive’.
On Tuesday, however, Merlin shared a message from a hospital bed, where he wrote, “Oh Squibwibble,” a fingers crossed emoji.
The post contained a photo of himself lying in a hospital bed with a unicorn face mask on and a bandage on his hand.
Now Merlin is home again, but will return to the hospital on Friday.
He shared on Instagram: ‘Back home. Back again on Friday.
‘Has had a very very small #anastamoticleak with abscess and collection.
“It’s a dreaded complication of bowel resection.”
Merlin added that his “wonderful surgeon” is “confident we can fix it.”
He continued: ‘For now it means I have more tubes in my ass and I have to go to the hospital regularly for mini surgeries until it’s healed.
‘Strict rest only orders for me too.
“I’m alive, that’s the most important thing,” he concluded.
He later shared another post on Instagram, thanking fans: “Thank you all for wishing me the best x You all cheered me up so much!”
It comes just weeks after Fred Sirieix, the star of First Dates, promised to keep in touch with his “incredible” opponent, saying the bartender is “incredibly stoic in the face of what’s happening to him.”
‘I really love him. He is also incredibly positive and pragmatic. I’m just not surprised because that’s the type of guy he is. You can always rely on Merlin,” Fred told Mail Online.
He revealed that he’s spoken to and texted Merlin over the phone, “to make sure he’s okay.”
Merlin had surgery in April after raising awareness during colon cancer awareness month.
After surgery I thanked the NHS for ‘literally saving my life’.
First Dates is available to watch on All4.
Macmillan cancer support
If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with cancer, Macmillan can provide support and information.
You can contact their helpline on 0808 808 00 00 (7 days a week from 8am to 8pm), use their web chat service or visit their site for more information.
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