lucky to be alive
Stanley Tucci reflects on his 'terrifying' oral cancer battle
Stanley Tucci is looking back on his battle with cancer and thanking the loved ones who helped him get through it.
The actor spoke with NBC's Today about being diagnosed with oral cancer in 2017, noting it was "terrifying" especially after his first wife, Kate, died from breast cancer in 2009. "So when I got it, I was completely shocked," Tucci said.
Though the cancer had luckily not metastasized, Tucci recalled the treatments were so "brutal" that he "lost 35 pounds" and couldn't eat. "I had a feeding tube for six months," he said. "Everything tasted like you know what and smelled like you know what."
But the actor credited his wife, Felicity Blunt, with helping him battle cancer, noting she was "very insistent" on him getting treated, even though he was "so afraid" to do so. He also credits his sister-in-law Emily Blunt, who was his co-star in The Devil Wears Prada. "They had to drag me kicking and screaming, but now, I wouldn't be around if I hadn't done that," he said.
Tucci revealed his battle with cancer in 2021, telling Vera magazine that a tumor was found at the base of his tongue. The Citadel star, who is now cancer-free, told People he is "incredibly lucky" to be alive, noting, "They couldn't do surgery because the tumor was so big. It's a miracle that it didn't metastasize. It had been in me so long."