Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood has revealed that he was recently diagnosed with cancer.
Wood, who had a rare small-cell carcinoma, has said he spent the latest lockdown “fighting” the disease – but has since been given the all-clear by doctors. It is Wood’s second run-in with the disease, following a previous diagnosis of lung cancer in 2017.
The 73-year-old guitar veteran recently told The Sun: “I’ve had cancer two different ways now.
“I had lung cancer in 2017 and I had small-cell more recently that I fought in the last lockdown.”
Small-cell carcinoma is commonly found in the lungs and is caused by smoking. The guitarist previously indicated that his old smoking habits could be the cause of his 2017 cancer diagnosis, having said to smoke “25 to 30 cigarettes a day for 50-odd years,” until finally quitting in 2016.
Wood credited the idea of “higher power” in aiding his recent recovery. “I’m going through a lot of problems now, but throughout my recovery, you have to let it go," he told The Sun. "And when you hand the outcome over to your higher power, that is a magic thing.
“All I can do is stay positive in my attitude, be strong and fight it, and the rest is up to higher power.”
Earlier this month, the former hell-raiser was honoured with the Freedom of the City of London, an award which celebrates significant achievement or contribution to public life. On a handwritten posted on Instagram, Wood said he was “humbled and honoured” to receive the award.
