England soccer legend Jimmy Armfield has shocked fans by revealing he is receiving cancer treatment.
The 81-year-old ex-Blackpool FC player who is about to complete a daily radiotherapy course, stressed he is optimistic for his future.
Armfield, who previously received successful treatment for Non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2007, has declined to reveal precise details about the nature of his latest illness.
The BBC Radio Five Live commentator broke the news after failing to pick up his global football ambassador award in person this week at the Football Business Awards in London.
He said: “I had surgery and I have been attending the Rosemere centre in Preston for daily treatment as a day patient.
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“I finish the treatment this weekend and the consultant who I am seeing again seems confident.
“I think I am now through a lot of the difficult part and it is nowhere near as evasive as last time.
“I have had these health issues since the beginning of September, but I am better now than I have been for over a month.
“It is amazing how quickly medicine has moved on, and I am thankful for that.”
