In an interview with The Mirror, he said at the time: “I thought, as most people must when they get a diagnosis, ‘Oh fuck, I’ve got cancer’,” he told the newspaper.
Article source: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/first-dates-merlin-griffiths-cancer-surgery-tumour-bowel-nhs_uk_626172c0e4b08393e1c1f83f