Aussie star Johnny Ruffo has shared an update on his battle with terminal brain cancer and opened up about the one thing that scares him above all else.
The former Home and Away star told The Daily Telegraph that he hasn’t given up the fight against his brain tumour, which first appeared in 2017, but that he is also thinking about the possibility of death.
Speaking about his biggest fear, the 34-year-old revealed that he was scared that his immediate family, including his partner Tahnee Sims, wouldn’t be around him when he dies.
“I’m scared for my brother, my mum, Dad and Tahnee that they won’t be here with me [when I die],” he told the outlet.
“There is no way my family will all be here. The likelihood of that is [slim]. It would be ideal if everyone was there – not for my sake, but theirs.”
During the interview, Ruffo became emotional while speaking about Tahnee, who he described as his “guardian angel”.
“She is living with it as much as I am. She is here with me every step of the way. I’m so very grateful to have her by my side, I don’t know what I would do without her,” he said.
Ruffo, who shot to fame as a finalist on the 2011 season of X Factor, has been candid about his battle with cancer, giving fans the devastating update that it was terminal in an interview with The Project co-host Carrie Bickmore in August.
“At some point it will get me, but I’m still fighting, still kicking on,” he said at the time.
“Looking up my diagnosis and my tumour, the average life expectancy was three years. And for me it’s now been five years. I’m already winning. My goal now is to try and help as many people as I can and also live a happy life.”
In the weeks before he broke the news, the West Australian marked five years since he was diagnosed and released his first book, a memoir titled No Finish Line.
Image: @johnny_ruffo (Instagram)
This article first appeared on OverSixty.