Johnny Ruffo opens up on shock brain cancer: ‘I would have died’

FORMER Home and Away star and X Factor singer Johnny Ruffo has revealed he would have died from his shock brain cancer diagnosis last month.

• Perth actor Johnny Ruffo has emergency brain surgery
• Johnny Ruffo to start aggressive cancer treatment

FORMER Home and Away star and X Factor singer Johnny Ruffo has revealed he would have died from his shock brain cancer diagnosis last month.

The 29-year-old has opened up to New Idea for the first time since doctors detected a seven centimetre tumour in the right frontal lobe of his brain.

Johnny Ruffo’s large scar after the operation. Picture: Instagram

Johnny Ruffo will immediately begin aggressive treatment for brain cancer.

He told the publication he would’ve been dead without the quick response from the medical professionals.

“Without the operation, there was a 100 per cent certainty I would have died because of the pressure on my brain,” he said,

“There was a lot of medical jargon, but by all accounts this responds really well to radiotherapy and chemo so they are pretty confident they can beat it, which is good news.

Johnny Ruffo after surgery. Picture: Instagram

Ruffo’s growth was a malignant stage three oligodendroglioma, which he initially thought was going to be benign.

“I was talking garbage, even worse than usual,” he told the magazine jokingly.

“Within days I was back to being myself again. I felt a lot better, lighter. I was confident, I was just sure it was all fine.

“The tumour was going to be benign, no problem.”

But now Ruffo is preparing for one of his biggest fights. He is scheduled for radiotherapy five days a week for six weeks and possibly six months of chemotherapy afterwards.