Comedian Milton Jones has revealed he has prostate cancer.
The 60-year-old comic who is known for his sharp one-liners and appearing on BBC's Mock the Week is also a Christian.
Jones has been forced to cancel his upcoming tour in a statement he released today where he said his cancer was "treatable" but that he would need time to recover from the surgery and wasn't up performing his UK tour.
Writing on Instagram he said “I’m so sorry about this, but I need to announce the cancellation of several dates from my ongoing Ha!Milton live tour."
“Abnormal service will resume as soon as possible and I'm looking forward to being back out on the road again soon - though probably not on a bike! Milton x”.
The affected shows include Leeds, Coventry, Basingstoke, Sterts, Launceston, Durham, Hexham, Ilkley, Wakefield, Lichfield, Tunbridge Wells, Portsmouth, and Lyme Regis and were due to take place this summer.
Summer dates in Colchester, Bridlington, Stroud, and London are being rescheduled for the autumn. Shows that were planned for the autumn will not be affected.
Jones was raised in a Christian family and immersed in church life from a young age though says his own personal faith developed slowly over time. In his own style of comedy he has said that God can 'take' a joke but avoid targeting vulnerable people individually in his sets an says his Christian values come out more in interactions with colleagues on tours noting: "If you say nice words but you're a pig during the week, that will come out".
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among men in the UK, with approximately 55,000 new cases each year.