‘It will get me but I’m still fighting’: Johnny Ruffo reveals his cancer diagnosis is terminal

Former Home and Away star Johnny Ruffo has opened up about the realities of his five-year-long battle with brain cancer.

In a recent interview with The Project, the 35-year-old entertainer revealed his cancer diagnosis is terminal, admitting he has feared for his future and what would happen to his girlfriend Tahnee Sims when he succumbs to the disease.

“What plays in my head a lot is, I hate to say this, how hard it may be for her if something does happen to me,'” Ruffo told The Project host Carrie Bickmore.

“You can only imagine how difficult it’s been for her

“So, it’s something that I don’t want to think about. It just gets me a little bit emotional about it because I know at some point something will happen, whether it’s, you know, a month from now or 10 years from now or 20 years.”

 

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Despite outliving the original three-year life expectancy he was given, Ruffo admitted he tries to avoid thinking about the future and is determined to make the best of it.

“At some point, it will get me but I’m still fighting. Still kicking on…I’m already winning. My goal now is to try and help as many people as I can and also live a happy life,” he said.

Prior to his appearance on The Project, Ruffo shared that before being diagnosed with brain cancer, his primary focus was his singing career and Sims.

“There’s something about nearly dying that puts things in perspective for you… Up until that point, the only real things that had mattered in my life, in no particular order, were performing, recording music, acting, Tahnee, family and partying with friends,” he explained.

Since his shock diagnosis, Sims has been a constant pillar of support for her boyfriend, with Ruffo confessing in interviews he believes his girlfriend’s insistence that he go get a check-up at the hospital for his recurring migraines saved his life. 

“We’ve been through so much together now. The longer we stay together, the stronger the bond,” he said. 

 

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Ruffo’s latest interview also follows his announcement that he wants to be a father one day, sharing that he has already frozen his sperm in the hopes of having children in the future.

The actor explained his decision to freeze his sperm in his new memoir, No Finish Line, saying he thought it was a necessary step to take in case he became infertile while undergoing treatment for his brain cancer.

Since announcing the return of his cancer back in November 2021, Ruffo has regularly updated fans via social media as he continues to undergo treatment, thanking his fans and his girlfriend for their endless support.