‘It was much worse than I thought’: Stanley Tucci, 60, reveals he ate through a feeding tube for six months and still ‘can’t eat everything he’d like’ three years after battling oral cancer
Stanley Tucci has detailed how he still ‘can’t eat everything he’d like’ three years after undergoing gruelling treatment of oral cancer.
The actor, 60, shared insight into his health battles during an appearance on Thursday’s Lorraine as he explained how he used his love of food to explain his cancer battles in his new memoir.
Stanley also revealed that he was forced to be fed through a tube for six months while he underwent radiation therapy treatment on his throat, which destroyed his taste buds and saliva.
Views: Stanley Tucci has detailed how he still ‘can’t eat everything he’d like’ three years after undergoing gruelling treatment of oral cancer
Detailing his cancer battle, Stanley said: ‘It was bad… it was much worse than I thought. The tumour was so large it was inoperable. The cancer had not metastasised.’
Explaining his treatment included radiation that destroyed his taste buds and saliva, the Hunger Games star added three years on he still can’t eat everyting he used to enjoy.
He added: ‘I ate through a feeding tube for six months. Three years on, everything is fine, but I still can’t eat everything I would like to eat.’
Stanley also revealed that he briefly lost his sense of taste for five days when he contracted Covid-19 last year, adding: ‘It was a bit of a panic.’
Open: The actor shared insight into his health battles during an appearance on Thursday’s episode of Lorraine
Insight: Stanley explained how he used his love of food to explain his cancer battles in his new memoir
Difficult: Stanley also revealed that he was forced to be fed through a tube for six months while he underwent radiation therapy treatment on his throat
Stanley previously revealed that he lost around 30lbs while he was undergoing treatment for oral cancer after losing his sense of taste during chemotherapy.
The Burlesque actor also said his ‘taste buds and saliva glands were destroyed as was the inside of my mouth, and it’s taken really two years to get back to almost normal.’
The actor recently revealed that the tumor in his tongue was too large to operate on, so he he to endure high-dose radiation and chemotherapy.
Worrying: Detailing his cancer battle, Stanley said: ‘It was bad… it was much worse than I thought. The tumour was so large it was inoperable’
Close call: Stanley also revealed that he briefly lost his sense of taste for five days when he contracted Covid-19 last year, adding: ‘It was a bit of a panic’
A tough road: Stanley detailed his cancer battles while explaining how he used his love of food to tell the story of his life in his new memoir
It was during this time that the actor lost his sense of taste.
When asked what it was like to go through that, Tucci replied ‘It was devastating.’
He went on to add, ‘Luckily, the cure rate was very high. So it’s three years later now and everything is fine, but I was unable to eat solid food for six months.’
Though his fight with cancer obviously took his toll, the actor did take a moment to note how happy he is to be alive.
‘That said, it’s a small price to pay for being alive and being able to accompany my family,’ he noted.
Open: The Hunger Games star recently revealed that the tumor in his tongue was too large to operate on, so he he to endure high-dose radiation and chemotherapy
Staying busy: The actor has remained busy in recent years and has several projects coming up on the horizon; seen in the movie La Fortuna
Now cancer-free, the actor has stepped right back into the fast-paced entertainment industry in recent years.
The actor has roles in two series which are currently filming. The first is Inside Man, about a prisoner on death row and a woman trapped in a cellar crossing paths. There is no set release date yet.
The second series is Citadel, which is a spy series set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video. He will appear alongside Priyanka Chopra Jonas in the series.
Besides those two series, Tucci also has an upcoming role as famous music executive Clive Davis in the Whitney Huston biopic I Wanna Dance with Somebody.
His pretty wife: Stanley is pictured with his spouse Felicity Blunt at the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2021 in London last month