Noddy Holder’s Life Extended by Novel Chemotherapy Treatment in UK

Musician Noddy Holder has shared that he is once again enjoying performing at the age of 78, following a pioneering new cancer treatment that saved his life. The frontman for Slade received a prognosis of six months to live after an oesophageal cancer diagnosis in 2018, but recovered after receiving care at The Christie hospital in Manchester. The NHS confirmed that Mr. Holder, 78, was among the first patients in the UK to undergo “a new regime of chemotherapy” for his specific type of adenocarcinoma cancer, which had formed in the glandular tissue of his oesophagus. Holder, who hails from Walsall and now lives in Cheshire, stated to BBC Breakfast: “Luckily for me, I’m still here five years later.” An NHS statement further noted: “There are different types of oesophageal cancer and Noddy had a type of adenocarcinoma cancer that we thought might respond well to this chemotherapy.” Since his recovery, Holder mentioned he has resumed performing with a 10-piece boogie jazz band. He commented: “I don’t sing for the whole two-hour show but I tell a lot of stories.” He continued: “There’s a lot of music in the show and then I end with a few songs.” Meanwhile, his wife, Susan Holder, reassured fans that her husband had recovered sufficiently to continue his Christmas Day tradition of waking her by yelling “It’s Christmas” with the same gusto as heard in Slade’s 1973 hit song. She remarked: “If you think it’s loud on the record or when you hear it in the supermarket, imagine it on the pillow when you’re asleep.” The couple has initiated a charity raffle benefiting East Cheshire Hospice, an organization they stated they “got to know” during Mr. Holder’s treatment at The Christie. The prize for the winner will be a papier-mâché sculpture of Holder, created by local artist Patty Callaghan.