Gossip Queen: Nothing can wipe off John Blackman’s grin

MUCH loved Hey Hey It’s Saturday! favourite John Blackman is approaching his cancer battle with his trademark cheeky sense of humour.

Broadcaster John Blackman. Picture: Nicole Garmston

MUCH loved Hey Hey It’s Saturday! favourite John Blackman is approaching his cancer battle with his trademark cheeky sense of humour.

John has shared the first image of his face following surgery to remove his jaw last month.

John, 71, was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer on his chin earlier this year that quickly spread to his jaw bone.

He underwent surgery to extract the cancer which saw his jaw removed and reconstructed using bone from his leg.

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He had skin grafted from his inner thigh onto the wound.

John’s wife Cecile said on Saturday her husband was maintaining his legendary sense of humour during his treatment.

John Blackman posted this photograph after his surgery to remove cancer of this jaw. Picture: Facebook

He is currently two weeks into a six week course of radiotherapy.

“John does not want to be defined by his cancer, which he does not have anymore,” Cecile said.

“He is having radiotherapy for six weeks to ensure that it is all gone and doesn’t return.

“He is not treating cancer with humour or as a joke. He is not dismissing the seriousness of cancer. He wants people to know he does take it seriously, but that he is still John Blackman and he is still sees the fun side of every situation.”

The image shows John smiling at the camera with a large graft over the wound.

Adding fun to the serious image, John has superimposed the words “ADVERTISE HERE!” on the graft.

Blackman was a key member of the Hey Hey It’s Saturday team and enjoyed a successful radio, voice-over and MC-ing career.

Cecile said she and John had been overwhelmed and humbled by the messages of support and good wishes they had received from friends and fans of John’s work.

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