Ian Smith, best known for his legendary portrayal of Harold Bishop on Neighbours, has given a huge health update after being warned he wouldn’t live past March.
The actor was sadly diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of lung cancer in December, which doctors warned was terminal. But he’s now said he’s exceeded predictions and much of his tumours have gone.
“That’s why I’ve got this solid grin on my face,” Smith told The Guardian’s Sian Cain, adding: “Apart from being 86, I feel good. I’m in no pain. I know I have cancer, because doctors keep telling me I have it.”
In December 2024, Smith made the difficult decision to depart Neighbours after his diagnosis with pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma, recalling how his doctor cried when breaking the news. This prognosis forced him to adopt a new perspective on life.
Smith humorously remarked: “I began doing very dramatic things, like looking at every sunset, watching children play. The week before, I would have killed them!”
Coming to grips with his mortality, Smith prepared for the worst. “Dying does change how you live,” he confessed. “I vainly say I am a better person now, but I think I am more forgiving, more understanding. It is a pity that I couldn’t have come to all these realisations [before] I was sick – I could have done somebody some good in the world.”
Yet, in a turn of events fit for a soap opera, Smith began chemotherapy and immunotherapy, leading to a notably positive outcome. He recounted to The Guardian the uplifting report from his doctor: not a trace of red was on his latest scan.
His life expectancy has now been extended to Christmas 2026. “I am in this funny, vacuous place,” he added.
“They can’t say the cancer has gone – in fact, they mustn’t, because it has come back in other people and they have died of it. But honestly, if they told me it had come back now, I would be ready this time.”
Smith brought the character Harold Bishop to life for over 21 years, becoming a household name in both Australia and the UK. His portrayal was so iconic that it often overshadowed his opportunities to be cast as different characters.
Despite facing personal losses, such as the passing of his wife Gail to cancer in 2019, Smith is thankful for having lived a “most privileged” life.