Sir Stephen Fry’s health battles before knighthood – chronic pain to cancer diagnosis

has endured a number of health battles in his life and has always been open about his struggles with mental health.

The Blackadder star, 67, , recognised for his services to mental health awareness, the environment and to charity.

The actor recently revealing following a harrowing fall from the O2 Arena stage during last year’s CogX Festival. The comedian required continuous physiotherapy and relied on medication to manage the excruciating pain after the incident.

Appearing on Radio 4’s Today programme, Fry shared his personal perspective on his ordeal, referring to his pain almost affectionately as “a friend”, yet acknowledging the fear that accompanies living with such discomfort.

He pondered: “You almost call it a friend and say ‘It’s OK, I know why you’re there’ and you’re not a failure on the part of evolution, or God, or whatever you want to call nature.”

Fry announced he had triumphantly overcome his dependence on medication and was no longer in pain.

Describing the horrific accident, Fry detailed how he sustained breaks to his leg, pelvis, and multiple ribs, and conceded he was very lucky to walk again, having plunged 6ft off the stage.

His recovery journey involved extensive treatments, including hydrotherapy and physiotherapy.

In a candid revelation back in March 2018, Fry left fans stunned when he disclosed .

He opened up about his health ordeal in a detailed video on his personal blog, which shed light on why he had stepped back from the limelight to focus on his health journey.

Fry explained that his cancer was detected almost by chance during a routine visit to his doctor for a flu jab. A health MOT and blood tests revealed an elevated PSA level and he agreed to having an MRI scan.

The situation took a serious turn when, following the scan, his doctor urgently contacted him to report “something rather mischievous showed up.”

This alarming discovery led to a swift referral to a specialist and the subsequent recommendation of a transrectal biopsy.

After undergoing a PET scan where gallium was used to illuminate any cancerous cells, Fry received some relief; the cancer hadn’t spread widely, but a lymph node did raise concerns, necessitating “active surveillance” to monitor his condition closely.

Following this, his treatment options were explored, including radiation therapy and complete removal of the prostate gland. The broadcaster underwent surgery where 11 lymph nodes were also removed, revealing that his cancer was more aggressive than initially thought.

Since his diagnosis and crediting early intervention for saving his life, he has been encouraging men “of a certain age” to get checked as one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer.

During a candid chat with Dragons’ Den mogul Steven Bartlett on his Diary of a CEO podcast in 2022, Fry peeled back layers of his life, discussing his childhood and harrowing suicide attempts in stark detail.

Recounting past torments, the narrator laid bare his tumultuous youth: “I was a deeply difficult child that my parents took me to a psychiatrist when I was 14.”

He further confessed: “I was lost and adrift. And really what I felt wanted to do is to take my life.”

The writer continued with the revelation of his struggles with mental health, which began at a young age. At the age of 37, .

In 2006, he threw light on how manic depression can envelop cognition through his work in the series The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive, exploring the effects of living with bipolar disorder.

He discussed adopting new routines for personal solace, such as walking each morning in London and immersing himself in audiobooks.

“It’s really been a slow process of allowing myself to be who I am and not to fight for my place at the table,” Fry explained.

For support with mental health visit Samaritans at call 116-123 for free.