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First Dates star Merlin Griffiths ‘out of surgery’ after having stoma removed during final stage of cancer treatment-Meghna Amin-Entertainment – Metro
‘Feels weird looking down and not seeing a #Stoma.’
Merlin Griffiths on First Dates (Picture: Channel 4)
First Dates star Merlin Griffiths has shared an ‘out of surgery’ update with fans, after having his stoma removed.
The 47-year-old was first diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2021, and has since been undergoing treatment as well as raising awareness.
He was diagnosed with stage three cancer after a 4.5cm tumour was found in his bowel, and has been on the road to recovery since.
Merlin underwent surgery in April last year, but faced a setback in September and announced on Monday that he was in the final stage of cancer treatment.
Sharing a picture from his hospital bed post-surgery, Merlin wrote: ‘Ouch. Time for a nap. Surgery done, tomorrow is a new day.
‘Things start happening once I fart properly! I hope it’s soon because I’m very hungry….’
He continued: ‘Feels weird looking down and not seeing a #Stoma.
‘My hand keeps feeling for my bag to see how full it is, and coming up empty!!’
Merlin went on to thank NHS for their care, before revealing that his teddy-bear (who features in many of his hospital selfies) is now being sent to a child with a stoma.
Merlin has been sharing updates and raising awareness for bowel cancer (Picture: @merlinfdc4)
Earlier on Monday, the First Dates barman had shared: ‘Checked in (with the bear of course) and ready to go.’
‘Here’s to the final phase of treatment and recovery.’
What is a stoma?
A stoma is where the end of the bowel is brought to the outer surface of the abdomen to release waste into a stoma bag.
This can happen for many reasons – often because of diseases such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, two forms of inflammatory bowel disease, but also for conditions such as bowel cancer.
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Merlin’s post was inundated with support, with one person writing: ‘Wishing you a speedy recovery, keep pushing mate, your doing amazing! Cant wait to see you on our screens behind the bar doing an amazing job as always x’.
Another penned: ‘Great to see you and the updates you are sharing I was diagnosed 2weeks before Christmas with bowel cancer and go into hospital tomorrow for my op I don’t feel so worried now you have posted this’.
First Dates is available to watch on All4.
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