Cricket legend Sir Geoffrey Boycott has revealed his throat cancer has returned, requiring a three-hour operation to remove cancerous tissue.
The 84-year-old former England batsman, who first battled the disease in 2002, discovered the cancer had come back last year after returning from his winter stay in South Africa.
"The nightmare begins again," Boycott sighed.
Following the surgery, he endured a gruelling liquid-only diet and continues to suffer from permanent effects of his previous treatment.
Sir Geoffrey Boycott was typically forthright when speaking about his cancer
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"I had 35 sessions of radiation for throat cancer and now I have no saliva gland," he explained. "The laser surgery kills everything in its way. My mouth is dry every couple of minutes."
Despite the diagnosis, Boycott remains characteristically defiant about his prognosis, which doctors have assured him is more positive this time.
The cricket icon has also spoken candidly about his views on assisted dying, expressing strong sympathy for Dame Esther Rantzen's campaign to legalise euthanasia.
In a recent interview with The Telegraph's Daily T podcast, Boycott explained how his second cancer battle has shaped his perspective on end-of-life choices.
"It's not just if it comes back and they say, 'OK, you've got a few months and that's it. You deteriorate, don't you? By the last few weeks of your life, you're a total wreck," he said.
The Yorkshire legend questioned why humans aren't afforded the same compassion as pets when suffering.
"People talk about putting their pets out of the misery of pain, don't they? But we don't allow us to choose. I think you should allow people to choose, and I wouldn't be against it myself."
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Boycott added that terminal illness creates immense strain on families, describing the situation as "just like a cabbage waiting to die."
Boycott's criticism extends beyond his personal health battles to Britain's institutions, which he believes are fundamentally broken.
"It's finished," he says bluntly of the NHS. "Brilliant idea, but like everything else in our country, it's broken. We can't solve illegal immigration, we can't solve the NHS, we can't solve anything."
The cricket legend recently received a letter informing him of a 13 to 17-week wait for his next appointment.
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Sir Geoffrey Boycott spoke out on the state of today's politics, throwing his support behind Reform
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His political frustrations centre on what he sees as dishonesty in leadership.
"People don't follow through with what they say. Truth should matter," he argues.
Boycott has expressed admiration for Nigel Farage and Reform UK, saying: "I like him. He's a good guy and talks a lot of sense. More people will turn to him, because they're fed up with the two main parties not being straight."
He advocates radical reform, including halving the number of MPs while doubling their salaries.
Despite his health challenges, Boycott remains characteristically outspoken about cricket, particularly England's current approach.
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Sir Geoffrey Boycott had to undergo surgery
GETTYWhen asked about the team's aggressive "Bazball" style, he dismissed it bluntly: "If you want to be entertainers and not winners, join the Harlem Globetrotters."
On Ben Stokes' claim that his side will never play for draws, Boycott was equally forthright: "They're full of s***."
The 84-year-old stepped away from Test Match Special in 2020, with his wife Rachael suggesting the BBC "conveniently used Covid to retire him."
Despite everything, Boycott remains determined to savour life, recently enjoying his first glass of Californian chardonnay after weeks of recovery.
"They say a cat has nine lives," he grins. "But one of my doctors reckons I've had at least 12."
