Slade frontman Noddy Holder has opened up about his cancer diagnosis and being told he only had six months to live.
In an exclusive interview with The Big Issue ahead of the 50th anniversary of Slade’s festive anthem Merry Xmas Everybody, Holder said he didn’t want people to “just think of me as a cancer victim”.
“The reason I’ve just been on the road doing shows with [boogie-woogie pianist and singer] Tom Seals and his band is that five years ago, I was diagnosed with oesophagus cancer,” he recalled to The Big Issue. “And I was only given six months to live.
“I kept it very low key because I didn’t want people to just think of me as a cancer victim – though I don’t call it a victim because that’s the wrong word.
“But at the Christie Hospital in Manchester I was offered a trial of a new drug. I was a sort of guinea pig for this drug that was four times stronger than normal chemotherapy. The consultant said, ‘We’ve never given this to anybody your age, but we are getting some success with younger people.’ So, I thought, what do I have to lose? I only had six months left anyway. And I’ve always had this positive mental attitude – and he said that could be a big bonus.
“So I’m still alive, thank God. They never tell you you’re cured – you’re never cured. You just carry on being checked on. But then I thought, I’m still around after five years, why don’t I do some shows? So people can see that I’m still standing and I can still sing a few tunes and tell a few stories.”
