John Farnham’s cancer diagnosis came after wife Jill forced him to go to the doctor

Friends close to John Farnham have revealed he had brushed off a lump in his mouth until his wife of 44 years, Jill Farnham, intervened.

John Farnham’s cancer diagnosis came after his devoted wife insisted on having a lump in his mouth checked out, despite his objections, according to a friend of the family.

The 73-year-old underwent successful surgery on Tuesday to have a cancerous tumour removed from part of his jaw, followed by reconstructive surgery on his jaw.

But had wife Jill Farnham not intervened, the cancer may not have been caught so quickly.

Gaynor Wheatley, whose husband was Farnham’s close friend and manager, the late Glenn Wheatley, revealed that the family only learned of Farnham’s cancer two weeks ago after wife Jill convinced him to see a doctor.

“I think John suffers from that man thing that says ‘I’m fine’ and was lucky and we have Jill to thank to take him to the doctor and found this lesion in his mouth which has now been taken out and addressed.”

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John and Jill Farnham married in 1973.

Australians have breathed a collective sigh of relief this morning after it was revealed there were “no complications” to Farnham’s surgery, which was carried out by 26 surgeons and lasted almost 12 hours.

“It was very successful and we are all very relieved. It is a much happier day today for all of us,” Ms Wheatley told the Today show on Wednesday morning.

Ms Wheatley went on to praise Farnham’s “extraordinary” wife of almost 44 years.

“She is a remarkable woman. She has held us all together and I would include my family in that as well as her two beautiful boys and of course has given John the word to get over this.”

She added of Farnham’s health: “There will be a period of time in hospital just recovering from the surgery, and ongoing treatment to ensure we’ve got it all.”

The Farnham Family, clockwise from bottom left: Rob, Jill, James and John Farnham. Picture: Supplied

In a statement of their own, the Farnham family thanked health workers for their incredible work.

“We are in awe of the incredible teams of health care professionals who have guided us through this very challenging time with such compassion,” they said.

“All of you undertook this big job today and gave us a magnificent outcome.

“To all the surgeons, doctors, nurses and consultants – thank you one and all so very much.”

Entertainment reporter Peter Ford later told The Morning Show thatFarnham underwent two procedures on Tuesday.

“The first was the removal of the tumour from his mouth, after that was completed, the reconstructive team came in to take over and there was reconstructive surgery because part of his jaw has had to be removed as part of tackling this,” Ford said.

“As we speak, John is now fully lucid, he is conscious. He is in ICU and will be there for a long time to come.”

His cancer diagnosis is not the first time Farnham has faced a major health battle.

Three years ago, the You’re The Voice singer was hospitalised with a severe kidney infection, which prompted him to give up smoking cigars and cut back on booze.

Farnsy is recovering in ICU and in a stable condition.

“There is no shying away from the fact that he has been a major smoker for most of his life, he started smoking at the age of 14,” Ford said on Channel 7 today.

“One of his kids encouraged him to stop. They said, ‘listen Dad, please stop smoking, I don’t want you to die’. And he did stop smoking for 12 years. Regrettably, he then started smoking cigars many years after that.

“He gave all of that up three years ago during a health crisis at that point. He really turned his life around. He cut back on the booze, he stopped smoking, he got a personal trainer, so the last two years he has been living a pretty healthy lifestyle.”