Merlin Griffiths opened up about the heartbreaking moment he had to tell his wife he had cancer.

Back in 2021, the TV star, 49, was diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer. He had undergone treatment for a year after doctors told him he had a 75% chance of living beyond five years.

Thankfully, the First Dates barman was given the all-clear last year, as he thanked the NHS for “literally saving my life.” However, Griffiths can vividly recall the time he shared his cancer diagnosis with his wife Lucile, 43, and 10-year-old daughter Alix.

He told The Mirror at the time: ” Lucile was working the day I got my diagnosis. I called her in the car on the way home from the hospital.

“I said, ‘Listen sweetie, we’ve found out what it is. It’s a malignant tumour and I need chemo. Of course she was incredibly upset.”

A week later he began to tell his friends and co-workers, including First Dates star Fred Sirieix. Merlin continued: “A week later I called some close friends. Fred was lovely and encouraging. He asked me how it has changed my life.

“I told him, ‘You either let it or you don’t. If you let it, it can take you down some pretty dark places.’ CiCi and Grant were both shocked. Grant said, ‘Christ, man, this sort of thing always seems to happen to the best of people.’ That was very sweet.”

After receiving treatment for his cancer, Merlin took to his Instagram page last year to reveal that his “final Year 1” scan showed no signs of a tumour. The post from his doctor read: “Hi Merlin, Hope you are well. Your CT scan has just come through.

“All looks good, there are no signs of any reoccurrence. Hope this is reassuring.” Griffiths captioned his post and said: “Final Year 1 scan results are in, and it’s ALL CLEAR for now.”

Despite receiving the all-clear, the esteemed bartender, who joined the Channel 4 dating show in 2013, will remain under medical supervision for the next two years.

It comes after the star candidly confessed that his life will never be the same again after overcoming the ordeal. Merlin confessed: “My life will never quite be the same, and anyone that has gone through bowel cancer and the horrific treatment that it involves will understand. I might look whole, but I’m actually missing about 45% of my insides. It’s quite a major amputation internally that I have had.”

Detailing the lifelong impact of his diagnosis, he said, “For the rest of my life, I’ll have this condition called Lower Anterior Resection Syndrome. All forms of cancers tend to have longer-term fallouts that a lot of people I don’t think are aware of, but, I still approach everyday with positivity because, what else can I do. It’s been difficult but I’m so grateful to be here”.