House of The Dragon star Sir Simon Russell Beale has been diagnosed with colon cancer.
The 65-year-old actor is known for roles in films such as My Week with Marilyn, Mary Queen of Scots and The Death of Stalin as well playing Ser Simon Strong in Games of Thrones spin-off House of The Dragon.
He kept his health battle secret for eight months after dropping out of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) production of Titus Andronicus at the Hampstead Theatre in London in September due to 'ill health'.
Simon has now explained he was hospitalised after finishing work on House of The Dragon and he was diagnosed with cancer.
During an event at The Delaunay restaurant in London this week, Simon explained: 'I've decided to tell everybody... I did the run [of Titus Andronicus] in Stratford, then House of the Dragon, and then had to be taken to hospital and they found that I had colon cancer.'
As reported by The Times newspaper, Simon went on to admit his health battle has been 'a bore' and he's not enjoyed missing out on work projects.
House of The Dragon star Sir Simon Russell Beale has been diagnosed with colon cancer (seen in the show as Ser Simon Strong)
He added: 'The last eight months have been, well it's a bit tricky actually, it's a bore obviously, but it's also tricky dropping out of things, which I've never done before.'
The actor confessed he was heartbroken to drop out of the London run of Titus Andronicus last year.
But he's determined to get back to work so he's signed up to narrate a puppet show version of Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis which will be touring the UK over the summer.
He added: 'It broke my heart dropping out of Titus because it was such a good show, but that's [the cancer diagnosis] why I didn't do it at Hampstead.
'At the moment I'm at that funny stage of thinking, do I dare risk it? I've decided to risk it, I'm starting again next week.'
Simon dropped out of Titus Andronicus just two weeks before the curtain was due to go up at the Hampstead Theatre and he was replaced by John Hodgkinson.
A statement from the RSC and the theatre released at the time explained he was leaving the production due to 'ill health' and the play's director Max Webster said: 'As a company we're all so sorry that Simon Russell Beale has had to step back from his role in Titus Andronicus.
'We all want to send him our very best wishes for a speedy recovery.'
It comes as the release date for House of the Dragon season three was confirmed this week - as a high-octane teaser dropped.
The 65-year-old actor is known for roles in films such as My Week with Marilyn, Mary Queen of Scots and The Death of Stalin
It comes as the release date for House of the Dragon season three was confirmed this week - as a high-octane teaser dropped
A prequel to HBO smash-hit Game Of Thrones, the fantasy series first hit screens back in 2022.
House of the Dragon is returning for an eight-episode third season and fans do not have long to wait.
It will be launching from June 22 on HBO Max, with further episodes airing weekly until the finale on August 10.
Major cast members including Matt Smith, Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Steve Toussaint, Rhys Ifans and Fabien Frankel will be back for season three.
Also appearing are Ewan Mitchell, Tom Glynn-Carney, Sonoya Mizuno, Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Phia Saban, Jefferson Hall, Matthew Needham, and James Norton.
Rounding out the ensemble are Tom Bennett, Kieran Bew, Kurt Egyiawan, Freddie Fox, Clinton Liberty, Gayle Rankin, Abubakar Salim, Tom Cullen, Tommy Flanagan, Dan Fogler, Joplin Sibtain, and Barry Sloane.
Previously, fans shared their excitement as a very violent season three trailer dropped - with warring soldiers butchered and burned alive.