Ian Smith, who played iconic character Harold Bishop on the TV show Neighbours, has been diagnosed with terminal cancer at the age of 86.

At 86 years old, Ian Smith has been a beloved figure on the hit Australian soap opera Neighbours for over three decades. Playing the iconic role of Harold Bishop, he has become one of the most recognizable faces on television.

However, the actor recently received some devastating news. He has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and has made the difficult decision to step down from his role on Neighbours. The cancer, known as pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma, is aggressive and not treatable, with doctors giving Ian a grim prognosis.

In an interview with 10 News First, Ian shared, "I found out a few months back that I have cancer. That I have a very aggressive non-fixable cancer and they expect me to...they expect me to die." Despite undergoing three rounds of chemotherapy, Ian remains hopeful and determined to fight for as long as he can.

He explained that he volunteered to be a "guinea pig" for new treatments because he wants to keep living with quality for as long as possible. "If they can do that, I'm very happy," he said. "But I wake up every morning hoping there's no pain, because I know that's the beginning of the bad part."

In light of his diagnosis, Ian has made the difficult decision to step down from Neighbours. He has already filmed his final scenes as Harold, 37 years after he first joined the show. The news was shared on social media by Neighbours, who also announced that Ian's former co-star Anne Charleston will return for his final scenes as Harold's beloved wife, Madge.

The statement from the show's official social media account read, "Harold waves goodbye to Ramsay Street. We're sharing the sad news that Ian Smith will soon be stepping away from the beloved role of Harold Bishop. Ian first played Harold in 1987 and it's been a huge privilege to welcome him back to the show over the years."

The post also revealed that Anne Charleston will be joining Ian on set for some of his final scenes, although it is not yet known in what context her character will appear. The reunion of these two iconic characters will be a final treat for fans.

Neighbours, which will be celebrating its 40th anniversary next year, has been a big part of Ian's life since he joined the cast in 1987, just two years after the show's debut. Over the years, Harold has been involved in many memorable storylines, including his famous disappearance at sea in 1991 and his return with amnesia in 1996.

After Ian's retirement, it was believed that Harold had left Erinsborough for the last time. However, he would go on to make a few return appearances over the next decade. In 2023, Ian reprised his role when the show was revived by Amazon Freevee, and earlier this year, he returned once again in a more regular capacity, with Harold being included in the show's opening titles for the first time in over 10 years.

In an exclusive interview with Metro, Ian shared his excitement about returning to the show. "I was asked if I'd care to come back into the show. I was excited! I said yes - but not fulltime," he said. "I don't know if they asked me fulltime to be honest. But I said: 'Bits and bobs, would that do it?' and they said: 'Yes, indeed!' So I'm a very lucky old actor at 85, I still get to work."

Although returning in a more regular capacity took some getting used to, Ian credited the "intense niceness" of his fellow cast and crew members for helping him find Harold once again. "If you don't use that part of your brain, it gets rusty," he explained. "And I was struggling with words, I have to be honest. But after a couple of weeks - bang - I was able to do it. For the first few weeks it was just Ian Smith trying to remember words but after that Harold happened!"

Neighbours can be streamed for free on Amazon Prime Video from Monday to Thursday at 7am. If you have any soap or TV stories, videos, or pictures, you can get in touch with us by emailing us. Join the community by leaving a comment below and stay updated on all things soaps on our homepage.

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