For almost 40 years, Australian actor Ian Smith has been a fixture on Aussie screens as Harold Bishop on Neighbours.
But in a shocking interview with Channel 10’s Angela Bishop in early December, the 86-year-old revealed that he would be departing the long-running soap drama to focus on his health and spend time with family after being diagnosed with a “very aggressive, non-fixable” lung cancer.
Speaking with our sister publication TV Week one month later, the veteran television star shared a positive health update with his fans.
“I did a PET scan and the words, I believe, were ‘significant metabolic change, significant shrinkage of tumour,” he shared.
“I’ve gone from a threat of drying this coming March to maybe a few more months…and now, God, who knows? It’s not a cure and it won’t be a cure, but I certainly have got a year, maybe two.”
“That’s amazing. It really is.”
When he first went public with his prognosis, Ian revealed that he had undergone three rounds of palliative treatment, including immunotherapy and chemotherapy.
“They expect me to die,” he admitted sadly to Angela for 10 News First in December, 2024.
“I’ve really put my hand up just to be a guinea pig. I think, plus the fact that I don’t want to die.”
“I want to stay alive with quality as long as I can and if they can do that, I’m very happy.”
“But I wake up every morning hoping there’s no pain because I know that’s the beginning of the bad part.”
Sadly cancer is all too familiar to Ian who lost both his biological mother Peggy Kline and wife Gail Smith to the insidious disease.
As the news broke, a Channel Ten spokesperson shared a public statement, writing that the network was “deeply saddened” to hear of Ian’s health diagnosis.
“A cherished member of the Neighbours family, Ian has been the heart and soul of the show since he first arrived on Ramsay Street in 1987,” the spokesperson said.
“Ian has brought joy, laughter, and inspiration to audiences all around the world for decades.
“Along with the cast and crew and all his fans from around the world, we will support Ian in any way we can during this difficult time.”
According to the network, Ian has already filmed his final episodes, which will air in the coming weeks.
“The way the residents of Ramsay Street feel about Harold is how we all feel about Ian — we couldn’t love him more than we do,” Executive Producer of Neighbours Jason Herbison confirmed.
“Despite the challenges he (Smith) was facing with his health, he wanted to give Harold a proper send-off. It was a very emotional moment on set as we paid tribute to him and the incredible contribution he has made to the show.”
