Lonely Val's Big Comeback

The star is in remission after a long battle with throat cancer and will return to the big screen in the sequel to Top Gun

- Nici De Wet

Angelina Jolie, Cher, Daryl Hannah, Cindy Crawford – a pretty cool collection of gorgeous women many people would give their eye teeth to date.

But one guy can boast about dating them all: Val Kilmer, once one of Hollywood’s hottest – and most arrogant – leading men. But these days women are the last thing on his mind.

“I haven’t had a girlfriend in 20 years,” the 60-year-old writes in his new memoir, I’m Your Huckleberry. “The truth is I’m lonely part of every day.”

The last woman he was linked to was actress Winona Ryder (now 48), whom he was snapped kissing in 2005. Ever since then, the once baby-faced star has been single – and he has fought a bitter battle with throat cancer alone.

In his book Val delves into his health drama. It’s something he tried to hide until it became all too obvious something was very wrong. He grew frailer and frailer and draped his neck in scarves to hide the ravages of surgery.

The actor – who exploded onto the scene as Iceman opposite Tom Cruise in 1986’s megahit Top Gun – has been cancer-free for more than four years now.

“I’m so grateful,” he says. But Val hasn’t emerged unscathed. He’s been left with a raspy voice and needs to do voice exercises every day to strengthen his vocal cords.

“The fact that my impeded speech could spell the end of my career only served to motivate me,” he writes.