John Blackman shares health update as he undergoes more facial surgery

John Blackman was admitted to hospital on Monday to undergo another bout of facial surgery, following an extensive operation in 2018 which saw him lose his entire jaw after being diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer.

The Hey Hey It’s Saturday star updated his fans on his health from his hospital bed in Melbourne’s Linacre Hospital on Monday evening, as he showed off four sets of fresh stitches around his nose and mouth, with his skin appearing slightly bruised, after going under the knife yet again.

“My journey towards becoming George Clooney’s stunt double for all his love scenes (or the part of Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz) continued today at Linacre Private Hospital,” he wrote on Twitter, alongside a photograph of himself wearing a hospital cap and gown.

The 72-year-old added: “Huge thanks to all the wonderful staff and my plastic surgeon Doctor Frank!”

My journey towards becoming George Clooney's stunt double for all his love scenes (or the part of Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz) continued today at Linacre Private Hospital. Huge thanks to all the wonderful staff and my plastic surgeon Doctor Frank! pic.twitter.com/9Xta5eDB3E

— JohnBlackman (@johnblackmanhey) May 11, 2020

The Aussie icon had his jaw bone removed and then rebuilt using bone from his thigh in a gruelling 11-hour procedure in September 2018, after doctors told him that his swollen mouth was actually a tumour, which they warned could spread to his brain if not treated immediately.

Many people wished Blackman well following his most recent post, including Derryn Hinch who wrote: “Jeez Blackers, I won’t complain about my new skin cancer scars again. Good to see you.”

Channel Ten’s Hugh Riminton said: “Looks bloody painful John – but clear evidence that – in the words of a famous full page ad: “Blackman’s back!” While The Footy Show host Sam Newman commented: “You’ll be fine, my man. Then life – and golf to look forward to.”

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The television and radio legend last updated his fans on his health in March, just days after another round of surgery. At the time he penned a moving social media post, in which he thanked his followers for their “messages of goodwill” over the past week, as well as the “angels” who work at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne.

“A huge ‘thank you’ for the hundreds of messages of goodwill posted here over the past few days in relation to my latest surgical procedure,” he wrote on Facebook. “I was genuinely moved by each and everyone of them.

“Thanks also to all the angels at The Alfred – the best hospital in the world and, talking of the best, my plastic surgeon, Frank Bruscino-Raiola and Reconstruction dentist, Ian Hewson! I can now finally see a glimmer of light at the end of what has been a very long and dark tunnel!”