is opening up about the reason why he chose to keep his cancer diagnosis private for so long. Simply put, he dreaded the pity., telling NBC News correspondent Harry Smith he loathed the idea of a pity party from fans if he revealed his bladder and skin cancer diagnosis.
"I didn't talk about it because I didn't want pity," he said."I didn't talk about it because a lot of celebrities -- unfortunately, I’m one of those -- when they say this, I think the perception around America with all the millions of people is, 'Aw, look at him. Bless his heart. He has cancer. Well, my husband died of cancer! My kids are...' I didn’t want that.
"Last week on this show, I ran out of breath, and Howie [Long] helped me up. And a lot of people are asking what’s wrong with me, what’s happened to me physically. I just want to address it and let you know what has happened in my life," Bradshaw"In November, I was diagnosed with bladder cancer. I went to the Yale University Medical Center -- surgery, treatment. As of today, I am bladder-cancer free. That’s the good news," he shared."Then in March, feeling good.
"Folks, I may not look like my old self, but I feel like my old self," he continued."I’m cancer free, I’m feeling great. And over time, I’m going to be back to where I normally am."it took him"a long time" before he told his family, let alone the rest of the world. He only went public with his diagnosis given what happened the day fans saw him run out of breath on the show.
"I couldn’t breathe," he recalled."That’s when everybody notices. 'What’s wrong with him?’'Social media went, 'Get rid of him. He needs to be off the air. He’s an embarrassment.' And I was like, 'Embarrassment? I got cancer.'""I don't think cancer cares," he said."Cancer shows no favoritism."RELATED CONTENT:If you are using ad-blocking software, please disable it and reload the page.
Because of this right here is why