Astrologer Russell Grant admits he was ‘in denial’ after being diagnosed with a brain tumour as Strictly star praises ‘reassuring’ surgeon who encouraged him to have operation

• Grant underwent a six-hour procedure to remove brain tumour before Christmas
• He has revealed he was ‘so scared’ and was reluctant to undergo the surgery

Astrologer Russell Grant has admitted he was ‘in denial’ after being diagnosed with a brain tumour – as he praises the surgeon who encouraged him to have a major invasive operation.

The TV personality and Strictly star, 71, underwent a six-hour invasion procedure to remove a tumour on his pituitary gland shortly before Christmas.

He had the procedure to remove the lump from his pituitary gland after doctors said it threatened to ‘blank out’ his optic nerve.

But Grant has revealed how he was ‘so scared’ prior to the procedure, adding that he was full of gratitude for the medical team whom completed the operation.

He told The Mirror: ‘I was in denial. I was so scared. Then one day I had a Zoom call with my neurosurgeon Professor Omar ­Pathmanaban. He was lovely, so ­reassuring.

The TV personality and Strictly star, 71, underwent a six-hour invasion procedure to remove a tumour on his pituitary gland shortly before Christmas

Grant and his dance partner Joanne Clifton during a Christmas special for Strictly Come Dancing in 2014

‘But what topped it off was he then said: “It would be an honour and a privilege to take away your tumour… when I was a kid my mother and I used to watch you every morning on breakfast telly. It made me late for school.”‘

READ MORE: Russell Grant details brain cancer battle as he praises medics who removed his tumour 

Grant was instructed not to sneeze or blow his nose for the next six months in a bid to prevent complications from the surgery.

He recalled how a lecture at the Northern Lights astrological society in Blackpool in December 2019 led him to believe he would face ‘serious challenges’.

Within a week, his mother suffered a stroke, before Covid began spreading across the UK three months later and a brain tumour began to develop.

His mother moved into a care home near the family property in Watford, before she died aged 93 in January 2021.

The former Strictly Come Dancing contestant said his mum was holding the hand of her granddaughter Joanna at the time of her passing. 

Recalling her death, Grant said: ‘I went into a great deal of grieving. It was terrible. I felt guilty, I felt I had let her down, even though I’d been looking after her since the 1970s, but I wasn’t there at the end.’

He subsequently dropped from 21st to 15st in the following months, before tests showed his body had none of the stress hormone cortisone.

Grant was reluctant to undergo an MRI, but a scan revealed a tumour was pressing against his optic nerve.

Without a major procedure, he was told he could lose his sight.

Initially reluctant, singer and friend Russell Watson – who had the same surgery in 2006 –  urged Grant undergo the operation immediately.

The astrologer chose the date of his surgery based on his astrology charts – choosing November 24.

Grant was instructed not to sneeze or blow his nose for the next six months in a bid to prevent complications from the surgery

Describing life since the surgery, he added: ‘It’s reminded me every day is precious and every day I need to do something that is important, not just for me but for the wider world.’

‘Things are brighter for me, but they are still not quite right. But they say it will be a six month recovery period.’

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