'At some point it's going to get me'. Johnny Ruffo shares update on fight with terminal cancer.

In 2011, a cheeky 23-year-old concreter walked – or, more accurately, moonwalked – onto the X Factor Australia stage as the first step towards his dream of performing for people all over the world.

What came next was also a dream: Johnny Ruffo placed third on the reality singing competition, went on to compete and win the 2012 season of Dancing With The Stars, signed a record deal and opened for some of the world's biggest acts, including One Direction and the Backstreet Boys.

Then he turned to acting, playing fan favourite Chris Harrington on Home and Away from 2013 to 2016.

For five years, Ruffo was everywhere.

Until he wasn't.

Watch: Johnny Ruffo on 7NEWS Spotlight: Fight Of His Life. Post continues below video.

By 2017, Ruffo said he had been suffering from bad headaches for a while. He ignored it and put it down to needing to make some lifestyle changes. As time went on it became clear things were more serious, one evening Ruffo attempted to speak with his partner, Tahnee Sims, only to find he was unable to string together proper sentences.

Sims drove him to the hospital, this is when Ruffo slipped into a coma and hospital staff were unable to wake him. Doctors soon discovered a 7cm brain tumour that needed to be removed immediately.

"They said 'there's a 20 per cent chance he might die from the operation'," Ruffo recalled in a 7NEWS Spotlight: Fight Of His Life documentary.

"But if I didn't have the operation, there was 100 per cent chance that I would die, so it's not really much of a choice."

Surgeons removed 95 per cent of the malignant stage three oligodendroglioma, unfortunately, the final five per cent was too close to nerves.

He underwent radiotherapy and chemotherapy in an attempt to remove what remained.

"Everything came crashing down all at once," Ruffo, now 34, told Spotlight.

"I didn't cry, I was just blank. It was so much to take on at once. I didn't know how to react... I was 29, the last thing on your mind is brain cancer."

Image: Channel 7. Guy Sebastian, who was Ruffo's mentor on X Factor, said hearing the news of Ruffo's cancer was "hard to stomach".

"I knew if anyone was going to fight hard it would be Johnny. He is a fighter, and he'd never been one to take no for an answer," Sebastian told Spotlight. "But this was a battle I don't think anyone could've really prepared him for."

Ruffo said the enormity of it all only sunk in about four weeks into radiotherapy.

"I was at home one day and I watching television, and I just went to scratch my hair and I pulled my hand forward and I had a whole clump of hair in my hair. I just broke down, and I cried and cried and cried. I went and sat in the shower and I just pulled all of my hair out and I cried so much, and it was the worst day of my life."

Two months after discovering the tumour, Ruffo sat down with The Project's Carrie Bickmore – who started her Beanies 4 Brain Cancer charity after the death of her husband Greg Lange – for an interview.

He told Bickmore he'd had "an epiphany about life".

"You just appreciate it a little bit more," he said. "Looking back I wasted a lot of time just doing things... I had a lot of fun, but now I feel like I really want to focus on my work and my career and things that make me happy.

"It could have quite easily been over for me that night. It’s almost like having a second chance and you appreciate things a lot more."

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He then gave updates about his condition regularly on social media, but mostly, Ruffo remained out of the spotlight during this time. 

Then in 2019, Ruffo publicly stated he was "currently clear of cancer".

He told Spotlight the day he found out about his remission was the complete opposite of that day in the shower: "The greatest day of my life. I just felt like I can finally get back to life and living again."

For just over a year, life returned to normality. Ruffo returned to music with his first single in four years, titled 'Broken Glass' about his experience of feeling 'down and out' and focused his time on his relationship with Sims.

"She has more strength than anyone I've ever met," he said of his partner. "I can't imagine life without her."

Frankly, he said, he would not be here today without her in his life.

"The first time I went through all of this, if she hadn't taken me to the hospital, I would've gone to bed that night and not woken up... She saved my life."

In September 2020, it was Ruffo's love of music that warned him that something was once again wrong. He began forgetting lyrics and chords to songs.

On Sims' 27th birthday, Ruffo ended up in the hospital again with seizures. 

For nine days, he remained semi-conscious and Sims wondered if this was when she would have to say goodbye.

"I couldn't have the conversations I wanted to have with him, so that was dark thoughts where I thought 'Is this it? Is this where I say goodbye, in the bloody hospital after everything?' There are definitely dark times – I'm not gonna lie. But, we remain positive because you have to. It's not a choice."

When asked if he'd considered the impact on her if things don't go the way he hopes, Ruffo pondered for a moment.

"Not really," he responded. "Because that's not going to happen. I'm going to fight tooth and nail, no matter what... I'm not going to let her down."

Sadly in late 2020, Ruffo confirmed that the cancer had returned. 

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A post shared by Johnny Ruffo (@johnny_ruffo)

Last year, Ruffo released a new book called No Finish Line, a memoir about his life and his experience with cancer.

Promoting the book on The Project, Ruffo said it was challenging to write the book and undergo cancer treatment at the same time.

"It was fairly devastating. It's terminal cancer so at some point it's going to get me, but I'm still fighting. Still kicking on. Looking up my diagnosis and my tumour and it's like the average life expectancy is three years. For me, it's now five years so I'm already winning," he said to Carrie Bickmore. 

Ruffo said that by sharing his story, he hopes to show others they're not alone. 

Even amid the sadness and hopelessness, Ruffo said there have been funny moments that bring him joy. Take, for example, when his mother took him to the sperm bank to make a deposit. 

"Mum's sitting in the waiting room, I'm having a wank. How awkward is that!"

Bickmore said that there was now no thought of children for Ruffo and Sims.

As Ruffo said about his partner: "You can only imagine how difficult it's been for her. What plays in my head a lot is, I hate to say this, how hard it may be for her if something does happen to me. It's something that I don't want to think about. It gets me a little bit emotional because I know at some point something will happen, whether it's a month from now or 10 years from now or 20 years."

Reflecting on her support, he said: "She knows how much I appreciate what she's done."

Something Ruffo wanted to also get across was the fact so many wellwishers often say to him 'stay positive' or 'don't give up'. It's said with kindness and care, but as Ruffo noted, it frustrates him.

"It really annoys me – because positivity doesn’t cure cancer. I am the most positive person going around. And I'm like, do you think I'm not being positive? And if I die, it's because I wasn't positive? Just say 'stay strong' or shut up," he joked. 

This week, the 34-year-old shared a health update on Instagram, posting a photo of himself back in the hospital reportedly undergoing chemotherapy. 

"Back in my favourite chair," he captioned the post, which included the hashtags #ihatethischair and #f***cancer

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A post shared by Johnny Ruffo (@johnny_ruffo)

Ruffo's friends and Home and Away co-stars were quick to share their support.

"Sending you so much love Johnny," actor Emily Symons commented.

"Big love to you mate, big love," wrote actor Georgie Parker.

Ruffo shared a similar image on Instagram back in December, writing, "Another year of chemotherapy done, it wasn’t easy but I made it through".

"Can't wait to have a few weeks break over Christmas and spend some well-earned time with my family."

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A post shared by Johnny Ruffo (@johnny_ruffo)

In May 2023, Ruffo's girlfriend came to social media to give fans an update on his health journey. 

Sims shared a photo of the singer giving a thumbs up to the camera while he undergoes treatment for his stage four brain cancer. 

Image: Instagram @tahneesims.

The singer continues to undergo treatment with no intention of giving up the fight. 

"I understand that the cancer is terminal, but you know, I’m going to do everything I can and I am currently doing everything I can to kick its a***," he told 7Life last year.

As he wrote last year: "Every day, I've found that identifying just one thing worth fighting for can give me the strength needed to pull my chin up and attack the day."

This article was originally published on June 23, 2021, and was updated on May 27, 2023. 

Feature Image: Instagram @johnny_ruffo.

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