JOHN BLACKMAN CANCER WON'T STOP ME LAUGHING!

A devastating diagnosis has forced the funnyman to retire

His trademark smile may look a little different these days, and his memory less razor sharp, but Hey Hey It's Saturday star John Blackman still radiates the sparkling wit that kept TV viewers in stitches.

For the past five years, John, 76, has repeatedly undergone major surgery on his face and skull to remove cancerous tumours.

The health setbacks have taken their toll, with the famous funnyman no longer able to do the work he loves. Even so, John refuses to wallow in self-pity, reflecting, "Thankfully, I still have my sense of humour. They did not remove that!"

John's life changed dramatically when, in 2018, after visiting his doctor about a seemingly minor blemish on his chin, he was stunned to learn he had an aggressive form of skin cancer in his mouth and jaw.

He recounted to the Herald Sun how his surgeon told him, "Look John, your life is going to change completely from now on. Professionally, financially, emotionally, it is never going to be the same again. You will never work in front of a mic again."

In a 12-hour operation, John's lower jaw and teeth were removed, and his jaw was replaced with a part of his thigh bone. "It's like I ploughed into a tree and my life changed forever," he later recounted.

Frustratingly for the Melbourne broadcaster, his speech patterns have changed. "I sound like a very drunk Uncle Arthur when I'm on the phone!"