Eric Braeden has revealed he is being treated for cancer and has vowed to beat the disease.
The actor, 82, who is best known for playing Victor Newman on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless for over 40 years, shared the news with his followers.
Braeden revealed that he had been experiencing some issues with his prostate while recovering from knee surgery, before a urologist had discovered some "high-grade" cancer cells while examining his bladder.
He had sought medical advice after finding he was needing to urinate once every half hour due to his enlarged prostate, before finding he was unable to urinate at all.
A doctor had initially relieved the condition by giving him a catheter for a few days but he soon found the issues had resurfaced, and took himself to hospital again.
While broaching the difficult topic, Braeden also shared a funny story of how the doctor recognized him from the soap in the middle of inserting a catheter.
The urologist told him: "When I came from Vietnam, I learned English watching your show," which helped to distract Braeden from the invasive procedure.
After inserting a camera, the doctor discovered cancer in Braeden's bladder, which he planned to remove while doing a Urolift procedure to relieve the prostate issues.
"So, needless to say, I was taken aback but I was determined to deal with it," the Emmy award winner told his fans.
The doctor told him that he had managed to remove all of the cancer during the surgery before asking Braeden to return a week later for a follow-up.
He was then told that some high-grade cancer had been found but that it didn't seem to have penetrated the muscle wall, so would be treated with immunotherapy.
Braeden told his followers: "I’m a little under the weather, but not really much. I work out, but reduced, in a reduced way."
He revealed that the treatment left him a "little weak" but he wasn't feeling too bad from it.
The former Titanic and Den Of Thieves star revealed he is undergoing six weeks of the immunotherapy treatments in order to beat the cancer.
He added: "I've learned to listen to my body more and not go out."
Braden vowed: "I will lick this. This bastard ain’t going to get me. I’m going to get it. I’ll be in top form again soon."
He also added that work has been therapeutic for him, explaining: "I’m happy to be able to go to work. That, I enjoy. It distracts me. I love acting. I love knowing that I entertain people."
The actor also thanked his friends and fans for their support throughout his health battles and encouraged them to be there for others who are going through the same.
We wish him a speedy and successful recovery.
