Neighbours star Ian Smith has shared his dying wish after being told he has more time to live.
Smith, 86, is battling a rare form of cancer called pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma. The beloved TV star was told his cancer was terminal in 2024.
“I’m going to die soon, but I seem to be defying the odds, which is good, I’m not unhappy about that at all,” Smith said during an interview on BBC Radio 5 Live.
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“I have got this very rare cancer,” he continued.
“The knowledge is saying, ‘Ian, you are going to die in March’. I almost gave in and then December, Friday the 13th, I got this good news and, you know what? I just had to say, ‘Well thank you, someone.'”
Upon receiving the good news he said he then thought of what he would do with his extra time.
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“I’m still not sure I’ve worked out the answer to that but I’m certainly not going to mope around,” he added.
One thing he does plan to tick off his ‘bucket list’ is he’d like to buy a new car.
“I’m now thinking of buying a new car. That’s not what you do if you’re going to die in March,” he said.
“I’m determined to have an electric car before I die. And I was speaking to a salesman. I said, ‘Now, what about the delivery? Can you get to me before I’m dead?’ And he was so shocked! I said, ‘Come on, let’s have a giggle’,” he joked.
Smith spoke about his shock diagnosis during an interview with The Guardian in February this year.
He said he “thought I would be stronger, but I am as weak as any human”.
“Dying does change how you live,” he said, adding that he feels he has become “more forgiving, more understanding” as a result of his illness.
At the time he said he was still feeling well, despite the diagnosis.
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“I know I have cancer because doctors keep telling me I have it,” he said. “I may get very sick again one day. But I have lived the most privileged life.”
Smith has played Harold Bishop on Neighbours since 1987.
His first storyline was as an old love interest of Madge Mitchell, played by Anne Charleston.
Over the decades, Smith’s character has been written in and out of the show’s storyline, making several years-long stints on the show.
His first stint ran from 1987 until 1991. He returned as a regular in 1996 and left again in 2009.
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Smith returned for guest runs in 2011, 2015, and 2022. He then returned to the role once more in 2024 before leaving due to ill health.
Upon his most recent departure, Jason Herbison, Executive Producer for Neighbours, told Herald Sun Smith was much adored.
“The way the residents of Ramsay Street feel about Harold is how we all feel about Ian – we couldn’t love him more than we do,” he said.
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“Despite the challenges he was facing with his health, he wanted to give Harold a proper send-off. It was a very emotional moment on set as we paid tribute to him and the incredible contribution he has made to the show.”
While Smith is best known for Neighbours, he also appeared on the cult TV series Prisoner. He has also worked extensively in theatre since the 1950s.
His wife Gail died in 2019 after her cancer battle. The couple had been married for over 50 years.
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Smith was 54 when his mother Connie told him he’d been adopted, shortly before her death. Smith eventually found his biological mother, Peg Kline.
Kline told Smith she’d fallen pregnant at 14 due to a sexual assault. Smith shared his adoption story on ABC’s Australian Story.
He remained in touch with his biological mother until she died in 2005, also from cancer.
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