Friday night’s I’m A Celebrity saw Russell Watson open up to his campmates about his two terrifying brain tumours.
The tenor, 53, who battled two benign pituitary tumours back-to-back between 2006 and 2007, told how he ‘saw the light’ while lying in an MIR scanner.
Speaking to his fellow celebrities in Gwrych Castle about his battle, the opera star described how it was the children that gave him the motivation to fight for his life and beat the illness.
Candid: Friday night’s I’m A Celebrity saw Russell Watson open up to his campmates about his two terrifying brain tumours
The conversation started off with Russell being asked where was the best place he’d ever performed, with him confirming that it was the Vatican.
He explained: ‘They said it was a private audience with the Pope but later on I found out there was about 500 million people watching.’
While talking in the Telegraph later, AJ Pritchard said: ‘Some of Russell’s stories are unbelievable, he performed for the Pope at the Vatican.’
The conversation soon turned to the low point of Russell’s life, with Ruthie Henshall asking about his brain tumours.
Revelation: The tenor, 53, who battled two benign pituitary tumours back-to-back between 2006 and 2007, told how he ‘saw the light’ while lying in an MIR scanner
His world: The opera star described how it was the children that gave him the motivation to fight for his life and beat the illness (pictured after his second surgery with children Hannah, then 8, and Rebecca, then 13, in October 2007)
Discussing the two brain tumours he’d had, Russell explained: ‘The second one was the ‘one’, the first wasn’t life threatening, it was painful and I nearly lost my vision.
‘The second one was holy s***, I went home, went to bed and didn’t wake up because of a haemorrhage. My assistant found me, called the paramedics and I knew I was in trouble because the paramedic kept saying “stay with us, stay with us”.
‘We got to the hospital and they operated. One of the most emotional things after I came out of intensive care was this bloke came up to me and said “nice to see you’re doing well Mr Watson” and I realised it was “stay with us, stay with us”.
His pal Vernon Kay then enquired if he’d he’d seen the light as is sometimes claimed by people, with Russell replying ‘big time’.
Honest: Discussing the two brain tumours he’d had, Russell explained: ‘The second one was the ‘one’, the first wasn’t life threatening, it was painful and I nearly lost my vision
Scary: ‘The second one was holy s***, I went home, went to bed and didn’t wake up because of a haemorrhage. My assistant found me, called the paramedics and I knew I was in trouble because the paramedic kept saying “stay with us, stay with us”
He went on to explain the moment he had noticed a ‘strip of light’ while in hospital and thinking he was about to die, before the thought of his children brought him back.
Russell said: ‘I was in the MIR scanner and I could see this long strip of light, like when you’re a kid and you used to keep your bedroom door open.
‘It was a light strip and I was thinking if I go to that door I’m out of here and the pain stops and I’m away and all I could think about was my children and slowly slowly whilst thinking about my children the clatter clatter of the MRI came back and I thought I’m going to beat this.’
Vernon the got up to hug his pal after he opened up on his scary health ordeal.
Shocking: ‘It was a light strip and I was thinking if I go to that door I’m out of here and the pain stops and I’m away and all I could think about was my children’
In September 2006, Russell discovered her had developed a tumour which was the size of two golf balls after his peripheral vision became blurry.
Following a trip to LA, he underwent a five-hour emergency operation to remove the eight-centimetre tumour at St George’s Hospital in Tooting.
Just over a year later in October 2007, the classical singer’s vision deteriorated as his tumour returned on his pituitary gland, which was bleeding into his brain.
Just days after his MRI scan, Russell underwent another emergency procedure in Cheadle’s Alexandra Hospital, and later recovered with an extensive rehabilitation programme.
I’m A Celebrity airs daily at 9pm on ITV.
You’ve got a friend in me: Vernon the got up to hug his pal after he opened up on his scary health ordeal