Neighbours star Ian Smith has quit the Aussie TV show after being diagnosed with terminal cancer.
The 86-year-old — who has played Harold Bishop on the iconic soap since 1987 — revealed on Monday that he is fighting a “non-fixable cancer”.
“I found out a few months back that I have cancer,” Mr Smith told 10 News First.
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“That I have a very aggressive non-fixable cancer and they expect me to, they expect me to die.”
The beloved actor has a rare form of lung cancer called pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma and is undergoing immunotherapy in a bid to “stay alive for as long as he can”.
Mr Smith said goodbye to his castmates last week, with his last scene set to air in April 2025.
“It isn’t just my last day on Neighbours, it’s my last day of work. I’ve had the most privileged life …. we didn’t just make a soap, we made the best bloody soap there was to make. I have met the most beautiful people.”
For now, Mr Smith says he just continues to hope the journey is pain-free.
“I wake up every morning hoping there’s no pain because I know that’s the beginning of the bad part. I’ve seen so many deaths. I’ve seen some good ones and I’ve seen bad ones. I’m hoping I’ll go the nice way.”
Mr Smith lost his wife Gail to cancer in 2019, as well as his adoptive mother and father and his biological mother.