Married At First Sight UK star Ryan Livesey has revealed he went ‘instantly numb’ when he was diagnosed with bladder cancer, after previously blaming his repeated bed-wetting on ‘too many beers.’
The semi-professional footballer, 29, who now works as a bin man, revealed that he was remission during Tuesday night’s show, as he tied the knot with bride Sionainn.
In an interview with The Sun, Ryan has shared that he ignored his symptoms before he was diagnosed at the age of 22, and feared at the time he wouldn’t live to see his six-year-old son grow up.
Detailing his symptoms, he said: ‘I started wetting the bed, it was really embarrassing but I put it down to having too much to drink and of course, I didn’t tell anyone and hid it.
‘I’d go to the toilet and not feel like I was emptying my bladder properly. I’d have to go again 20 minutes later because I couldn’t hold it in.
‘Looking back now, I should have known something was wrong but because the increase in frequency happened gradually, I was able to ignore it.’
Ryan added that he is now in remission, but has urged men to pay attention to their health, and believe men can put off visiting the doctor due to embarrassment or pride.
He shared that he first began to notice blood in his urine in 2017, after struggling with bed-wetting for several months.
It was in May 2017 that the level of blood had worsened, and after reluctantly making an appointment with his GP, he was diagnosed with stage two bladder cancer.
He added: ‘I remember my doctor saying the word cancer and I felt instantly numb.’
Ryan was told he needed surgery to remove the cancer, a week of chemotherapy, and to have the lining of his bladder scraped.
He said that he battled ‘anxiety and depression’ during his treatement, as it coincided with the birth of his son.
He said that while he gets annual checks to make sure his cancer hasn’t returned, he still ‘worries about it a lot.’
Bladder cancer is caused by a tumour developing in the lining of the bladder or the organ’s muscle.
Symptoms of the disease include blood in the urine, needing to urinate more often or more urgently than normal and pelvic pain.
On Tuesday, viewers saw Ryan tell his wife Sionainn about his cancer diagnosis for the first time.
He also shared that his cancer ‘could come back’, and it’s just ‘something he has to live with’.
Ryan’s wedding didn’t get off to the best start, as Sionainn began to get cold feet about tying the knot.
After arriving at the altar, she turned to her family and friends and asked: ‘What am I doing, guys? I’m feeling dead overwhelmed. I’m scared and want to run away. I feel like this is a massive mistake.’
Elsewhere in Tuesday’s episode, Emma Barnes broke down in tears again when her husband Caspar Todd made another jibe about her figure.
Previously, the gardener, 34, admitted he didn’t feel a ‘sexual spark’ with Emma, 31, after she wore a bikini for the first time on their honeymoon in Jamaica, saying he prefers a ‘petite woman’ over a curvaceous size 14 figure.
In a first look clip of in-laws week, ahead of the episode airing, Caspar is heard reiterating his previous comments.
Speaking with Emma’s best friends he says: ‘I’ve never fancied curvier women.’
‘Oh no, no, no, no,’ Emma’s pal exclaimed in response.
‘That was poor delivery. You can’t say that,’ his wife said before tears began rolling down her face.
‘That is not a very nice thing to say,’ her friend added before saying to Emma, ‘Right now, I don’t think he’s the man for you.’
Caspar previously accused the E4 show of ‘f***ing with his life’ by pairing him with bride Emma.
During their honeymoon, he told Emma, ‘I haven’t felt that spark I was hoping to feel… I have rarely gone for the curvier person,’ before replying ‘no’ when she asked: ‘Do you think I’m sexy?’
Caspar also confessed to being turned off by Emma after comparing the sales manager to his twin sister, Daisy, saying the two have similar personalties and mannerisms.
But now he has blamed E4 producers for setting him up to fail, insisting he and Emma are ‘different on so many levels.’
Married At First Sight UK continues on Wednesday at 9pm on E4.