Legendary entertainer Jimmy Tarbuck has disclosed that he has prostate cancer.

Jimmy Tarbuck has praised London’s Royal Marsden Cancer Hospital for their high standard of care, and for their treatment to prevent the cancer spreading.  He said that he would try and beat the cancer.  It was Sir Rod Stewart who persuaded Jimmy to get checked, following his own treatment. 

The entertainer said that he is on the telly, and is having a good time.  He is planning a tour, where he will chat with the audience about his fascinating life, and his fellow stars. 

Jimmy Tarbuck, now 80, rose to fame in the 1960’s, hosting Sunday Night at the London Palladium, and Live From Her Majesty’s.  Educated in Liverpool alongside John Lennon, his first TV show was It’s Tarbuck '65 in 1964.  In 1963 Bruce Forsyth introduced him to the London Palladium, and Jimmy hosted the Sunday night entertainment spectacular until the show closed in 1967.  In 2015 he starred in a one-off show at the London Palladium, and toured the UK raising money for the children’s charity Variety.

A keen golfer alongside the late Sir Bruce Forsyth, he was prominent as a competitor in pro-celebrity golf matches during the years when they were televised.

In 1959 he married Pauline Carfoot, and they have three children, Cheryl, Liza and James.

National Clinical Director for Cancer, Professor Peter Johnson, has praised Jimmy Tarbuck and Sir Rod Stewart for talking about their prostate cancer, and helping in promoting the detection of cancers early as an NHS priority.