Only Fools And Horses star Patrick Murray didn’t tell his late co-star John Challis he’d been diagnosed with cancer.
The actor, 65, who publicly shared his diagnosis on Tuesday, admitted he knew the John was having ‘serious problems’ after a lengthy battle with the disease, and didn’t want to ‘lay it on him.’
In an interview with The Sun, Patrick, who played Trilby loving wide-boy Mickey Pearce in the BBC sitcom, also revealed that he’s lucky to be alive after doctors discovered a tumour on my liver, and was warned he wouldn’t live to see Christmas.
Candid: Only Fools And Horses star Patrick Murray didn’t tell his late co-star John Challis he’d been diagnosed with cancer (the pair are pictured in 2018)
Patrick revealed that he was in touch with John before his sad passing in September, but after learning of his own cancer diagnosis in August, decided to keep it a secret.
John – who played Cockney car dealer Terrance ‘Boycie’ Boyce – died of cancer, aged 79 on September 19.
Patrick said: ‘I knew he had serious problems and didn’t want to lay it on him that I had it too. The last thing he said to me was, ”I’m eating watermelon” because they help thin the blood naturally, which he needed to do. Bless him, he was a great man.’
Candid: The actor, who publicly shared his diagnosis on Tuesday, admitted he knew the John was having ‘serious problems’ (pictured with the Only Fools and Horses cast)
He also revealed they’d exchanged recipes during their phone conversations, after trying out different diets to improve their health.
Challis was best-known for his portrayal of second-hand car dealer Boycie – a cigar-smoking businessman with a mocking laugh who butted heads with Del Boy – in the beloved British sitcom, alongside Sir David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst.
Speaking shortly after his death, Sir David, who played Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter on the hit show, called Challis a ‘dear friend’ and ‘wonderful actor’ and said he was pleased the star had witnessed the outpouring of admiration recently shown for the 40th anniversary of the first episode of the sitcom.
Friends: Patrick also revealed they’d exchanged recipes during their phone conversations, after trying out different diets to improve their health (pictured in 2002)
Tragic: John – who played Cockney car dealer Terrance ‘Boycie’ Boyce – died of cancer, aged 79 on September 19
Patrick, who has retired from acting, revealed he was given the heartbreaking cancer diagnosis by his GP in August, after growing concerned about his bloated stomach.
After basic tests failed to come up with an answer, Patrick was booked in for an ultrasound, before doctors shared the grim diagnosis.
He explained: ‘The first primary diagnosis was actually a lot worse than what it was.
‘It showed up a lot of red flags that I had a tumour on my liver and three metastatics – which is cancer of the blood. I was told it looks like I wouldn’t make Christmas.’
Patrick was fast-tracked for MRI and PET scans, before doctors learned that he actually had harmless hemolytics in his blood.
Peckham’s finest: Patrick played Trilby loving wide-boy Mickey Pearce in the BBC sitcom (pictured in 2002)
But, the scans did discover a tumour in Patrick’s lung, which was removed in October, with the star currently undergoing chemotherapy.
During the interview, Patrick also shared his thoughts on the possibility of an Only Fools reboot, admitting the ‘ridiculous woke thing’ could destroy the series by banning the use of the show’s most iconic catchphrases.
He predicted the word ‘plonker’ could be banned from the show, despite being one of the series’ most famous insults.
Earlier this week, Patrick, who admitted he’s lucky to be alive, revealed he’d been diagnosed with cancer after doctors discovered a malignant tumour in his lung.
He confirmed the news on Tuesday evening while publicly endorsing a new government drive to get mystery aches and pains checked out.
Announcement: Earlier this week, Patrick, who admitted he’s lucky to be alive, revealed he’d been diagnosed with cancer after doctors discovered a malignant tumour in his lung
He tweeted: ‘Naturally I wanted to keep my own health problems private, but failing to fully endorse this ad would be selfish.
‘Thanks to my ultrascan I have a fighting chance. It showed my organs needed further investigation and tumours were spotted. This led to a PET scan which covers a much larger area.
‘To my wonderful surprise these lesions were not cancerous but the scan did find an early-stage cancerous tumour in my lung. This has since been removed.’
Speaking out: Murray confirmed the news on Tuesday evening while publicly endorsing a new government drive to get mystery aches and pains checked out
Old times: Patrick played the role of ‘spiv’ Mickey in 20 episodes of Only Fools and Horses during its 22-year run (pictured in 2001)
He added: ‘I am tweeting now, which wouldn’t be the case if I hadn’t had the ultrasound all those months ago.
‘A lot of people put these symptoms down to age and the discomfort to simply having a weak stomach. Please don’t ignore it if it persists.
‘As for me, and thanks to the NHS, I can now see the same beautiful horizon as you.’
Patrick played the role of ‘spiv’ Mickey in 20 episodes of Only Fools and Horses during its 22-year run, branded the slang term for his involvement in petty crime and dealing in black market goods.
He became best known for his outlandish declarations about his success in both business and women, and frequently took advantage of Rodney’s inexperience in the industry by stealing his money, and girlfriends.
Banter: (L-R) Sid (Roy Heather), Trigger (Roger Lloyd Pack), Boycie (John Challis), Denzil (Patrick Barber), Marlene (Sue Holderness) and Mickey Pearce (Patrick Murray) in Only Fools and Horses
After the show ended in 2003, landed several big-screen roles including The Firm and Curse Of The Pink Panther, but eventually quit acting to become a private chauffeur in Kent.
Patrick was eventually forced to retire from work after battling Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which causes breathing difficulties, but remained a regular at Only Fools conventions across the UK.
He married his wife Anong, 40, in Thailand in 2016, and they were drawn into a Visa row in 2017, when his spouse and daughter Josie’s application to move to the UK was denied.
Done: After Only Fools And Horses ended in 2003, Patrick eventually retired from acting and became a private chauffeur before giving up work due to health concerns (pictured in 2018)
Speaking on Loose Women at the time, he said: ‘I wanted to get her a visa but it was hard so I had to come back here.
‘Being out of the industry for so long, the work dried up so I went back to driving an executive car, a Mercedes, to do it. I only saw my baby on the phone for two years, I was a Skype dad.’
Luckily Patrick was later reuniting with his family after a battle with the Home Office in 2018.
Family: He married his wife Anong, 36, in Pattaya, Thailand in 2016, and they were drawn into a Visa row in 2017, when his spouse and daughter’s application to move to the UK was denied
