Def Leppard star reveals his cancer has returned 18 months after bone marrow transplant to beat disease

DEF Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell has revealed his cancer has returned 18 months after undergoing a bone marrow transplant to beat the disease. Vivian, 63, was first diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma in 2013 but has now told how he’ll need another transplant. Vivian Campbell has revealed his cancer has returned 18 months after having a bone marrow transplant Credit: Getty Images The guitarist has been a member of Def Leppard since 1993 Credit: Getty Images But the rocker, who has been a member of Def Leppard since 1993, says he’s refusing to let cancer take over his life. He said: “I think you have to keep moving forward. Sign up for the Showbiz newsletter Thank you! “And I do think that that’s what helped me, even when I was at a really low ebb with cancer treatment. “The fact that I could still continue to work, that gives me something to live for, something that you enjoy, that you’re passionate about, that you can wake up in the morning and look forward to.” Speaking on El Salvador’s Radio YSKL FM, he added: “I think that deflects, that takes away from focusing too much on cancer.” After confirming he is no longer cancer-free, he opened up about making the decision to have a transplant the first time around. Vivian said: “In the winter of 2023, I got really scared about what was happening and the pace at which it was happening,’ he recalled. This was when he realised he needed a donor transplant.” He confessed that he’ll “probably have to do another transplant within a few years with another donor” and hopes that one will “cure” him. Most read in Showbiz Last year Vivian told how being diagnosed with cancer had made him “spend money”. Appearing on the Fueled With Chris Cyr podcast, he said: “I can tell you it made me spend more money. ‘Cause, as Jerry Seinfeld said, ‘You can’t drive money.’ “So as soon as I got — not as soon as, but within a year of having my cancer diagnosis, I went and bought a very expensive Porsche. “And I remember thinking, ‘Oh, that’s a lot of money. It’s a lot of money.’ And I [thought], ‘I could be dead next week’.” 2 comments2