Michael Aspel in cancer fight

TV star Michael Aspel has revealed that he has been battling cancer.

The This Is Your Life host, 70, said he has non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

He told the News of the World how the condition was detected during a routine check-up with his doctor.

“Thankfully it’s low-grade cancer,” he said. “And the strange thing about it is you don’t feel unwell. In fact, without that check-up I may not have found out about it at all because there are no symptoms.”

Aspel, who lives in Weybridge, Surrey, said he had undergone a course of chemotherapy.

“Although the condition hasn’t gone, my doctor tells me my life isn’t threatened by it. It just ticks away and needs monitoring.

“I have regular check-ups and I’m in a very positive frame of mind about the situation.

“After the initial shock of finding out, I was given leaflets and I’ve read up on the condition and I feel okay. It hasn’t gone but it hasn’t developed.”

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma affects the lymphatic system, which deals with the body’s immunity.

Some forms of the cancer are aggressive while others progress at a slow rate.