Louis Walsh appeared in a new Boyzone documentary whilst secretly undergoing chemotherapy for a rare blood cancer, it has emerged.
The 72-year-old music mogul, who founded the Irish boyband in 1993, honoured his commitment to participate in the filming despite battling Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia.
The former X Factor judge has since been given the all-clear after receiving treatment in Dublin for the rare blood condition.
Walsh initially overlooked a key symptom of his condition, attributing his fatigue to his busy schedule.
“I was sick, and I think nobody knew I was sick. I had cancer – a mild version, a rare one, in my blood,” he revealed previously during a conversation on Celebrity Big Brother.
“I didn’t even know I had it until I went to the hospital. They checked me and then they found it,” the music manager admitted.
Louis Walsh kept to his commitments when filming the documentary
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The diagnosis came as a complete surprise during routine hospital checks.
A source close to the star told the Daily Mail: “Louis was really ill at the time, but made the effort to appear on the programme.
“He was having chemo for his blood cancer, so wasn’t looking his best and it really took it out of him.
“You will see in the documentary that he complains he is tired, but when Louis makes a commitment he stands by it,” the source added.
The star urged people to get their illnesses checked out
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Walsh spoke candidly about the mental impact of his diagnosis.
“It did affect me mentally, I got to be honest with you. It’s just up here, even when I go past a hospital I almost get sick,” he revealed.
“It’s all gone, I’m fine. It was just the shock of being sick and that word…nobody wants that word,” he continued.
“In my world, it was all about pop music and all that. I didn’t think of anybody getting sick or anything like that. And that was like wow reality check, you’re in the real world.”
Now in remission, Walsh has issued a warning to others about recognising symptoms early.
“Please, for anyone reading this, and you don’t feel well, please, please go and get checked. If this interview encourages one person to go to a doctor, then this has all been worth it,” he urged.
Louis Walsh founded the band in 1993
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Speaking on Nicky Byrne’s podcast, Walsh praised the medical staff at the Mater Private Hospital: “Fantastic nurses and doctors. They’re the real stars.
“Those men and women, they work tirelessly to help everybody and they cure people. I’m fixed and I’m fine.”
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