A Neighbours star, who previously quit his acting career due to a terminal cancer diagnosis, has shared a positive update on his health. Ian Smith, 87, who played beloved Harold Bishop on the Aussie soap, first shared that he had terminal lung cancer in December 2024. 

He was given just months to live after being told that he had pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma –  a rare and terminal form of lung cancer. But now, it seems his prognosis has improved in an “unexpected” update. The legendary actor told the press: “It (the cancer) has evened out and immunotherapy is keeping it there and my markers have been the same for the last three treatments. They (the medical team) don’t know why I have had this incredible result, they can’t tell me why I am not giving in to cancer.”

Following the good news, Ian admitted that it would be nice to make a return to his acting career as he said: “Wouldn’t it be nice if I got a small part in a stage play?”

Ian previously appeared on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, where he shared an update on his cancer battle. He said: “It’s a cruel, ugly, brutal place, and I don’t know how, but it looks like I’m having the best luck in the world with defeating this cancer.

“Although the oncologist can’t tell me that, they said because this cancer is so rare, so drastic, so severe, so awful, they don’t know, they don’t know what it’s going to do.” 

Ian decided that the grim treatments were worth prolonging his life for, as he added: “After my last treatment I asked, ‘How long do I have to keep going with these treatments?'” 

He explained that he was told he could stop treatment at any time, before adding: “[The doctor] said ‘No. We know so little about this cancer that we don’t know that if you stop taking the treatments, it may roar back into life’.

“So I said: ‘Look, for an hour’s treatment every three weeks, I think I can put up with that,’ and it looks like these very clever people are going to keep me alive.” 

The actor decided to leave the cast of Neighbours after he received the diagnosis, having been a much-loved character on the show since 1987. 

Earlier this year, his character had an emotional send-off as Harold decided it was time to leave Ramsay Street. He decided to move to Port Douglas, Queensland, to be close to his granddaughter, Sky.