Home and Away: Johnny Ruffo vows to be alive for emotional Christmas milestone

Johnny Ruffo has revealed he is determined to stay alive until at least Christmas so he can be around for a long-overdue family reunion.

The 34-year-old actor and singer, who has terminal brain cancer, told 7News he hopes to make it to the holidays to see his brother Michael, who has been living in Ireland for the last three years.

‘My brother lives in Ireland now so I haven’t seen him for three years and he’s coming home for Christmas and I honestly can’t wait to see him,’ said the former Home and Away star.

‘We’re thick as thieves. Honestly, he is my hero. He is everything to me. And I cannot wait to see him. I don’t know how I’m going to react, I cannot wait, he’s everything.’ 

The interview comes after Johnny confirmed on Monday his brain cancer diagnosis is terminal and he fears how his girlfriend Tahnee Simms will cope once he is gone.

‘You can only imagine how difficult it’s been for her,’ he told host Carrie Bickmore on The Project.

The actor and singer, 34, who has terminal brain cancer, told 7News he hopes to make it to the holidays to see his brother Michael, who has been living in Ireland for the last three years 

‘What plays in my head a lot is, I hate to say this, how hard it may be for her if something does happen to me,’ he continued.

‘So, it’s something that I don’t want to think about. It just gets me a little bit emotional about it because I know at some point something will happen, whether it’s, you know, a month from now or 10 years from now or 20 years.’

Johnny told Carrie he has already outlived his life expectancy with the disease.

‘At some point it will get me but I’m still fighting. Still kicking on. Looking up my diagnosis and my tumour, the average life expectancy was three years,’ he admitted.

‘We’re thick as thieves. Honestly, he is my hero. He is everything to me. And I cannot wait to see him. I don’t know how I’m going to react, I cannot wait, he’s everything,’ Johnny said

‘And for me it’s now been five years. I’m already winning. My goal now is to try and help as many people as I can and also live a happy life’.

Johnny was first diagnosed with the disease in 2017 after he went to hospital with painful migraines.

In August of the same year, he had a 7cm brain tumour surgically removed, before undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

The interview comes after Johnny confirmed on Monday his diagnosis is terminal and he fears how his girlfriend Tahnee Simms (left) will cope once he is gone