Actor Jarryn Nurden is back under the lights after a nightmare health battle that cost him a lung — a terrifying ordeal he originally brushed off as nothing more than a nasty flu.
Nurden, 34, who also carved out a name for himself as an underwear model, had uprooted his life in late 2021, leaving South Africa for London to chase his West End dream.
But shortly after he touched down in the UK, he was knocked off his feet by what he thought was a ‘very bad flu.’
Still, he powered through rehearsals and a Christmas pantomime as doctors dug for answers.
By mid-2023, the truth hit like a sledgehammer: he was suffering from primary malignant neuroendocrine neoplasm of the lung, a rare cancer that explained the relentless symptoms.
He said the moment he received that call felt like ‘being underwater.’
Actor Jarryn Nurden is back under the lights after a nightmare health battle that cost him half a lung — a terrifying ordeal he originally brushed off as nothing more than a nasty flu
Nurden, 34, who also carved out a name for himself as an underwear model, had uprooted his life in late 2021, leaving South Africa for London to chase his West End dream
‘Everything just slows down and you’re like, ‘Oh, I have cancer’. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I work really hard. How is this happening?’ he told The Independent .
Doctors laid out two brutal options — chemo and radiotherapy, or a major surgery to remove part of his lung.
He chose the operation, undergoing a lobectomy in October 2023 to cut out the lower lobe entirely in hopes of clearing the remaining cancer cells.
Recovery was far from straightforward.
As he told the outlet, it was ‘really hard,’ and the complications kept piling up.
‘I think it was touch and go at one point. And then I just wasn’t getting better,’ he said.
‘It was going on for four months in the hospital. I had to have a second open surgery to clear infections. It was hell.’
The grueling recovery forced him to walk away from a spot on the international Chicago tour, a major career blow at a time when he didn’t know if he’d ever perform again.
But shortly after he touched down in the UK, he was knocked off his feet by what he thought was a ‘very bad flu’
By mid-2023, the truth hit like a sledgehammer: he was suffering from primary malignant neuroendocrine neoplasm of the lung, a rare cancer that explained the relentless symptoms
But months later, an unexpected lifeline arrived: the chance to play Mary Sunshine in Chicago’s September run in China — his first time back onstage since the surgeries
But months later, an unexpected lifeline arrived: the chance to play Mary Sunshine in Chicago’s September run in China — his first time back onstage since the surgeries.
‘I mean, the challenge was intense. It was a one-day rehearsal in London. It was flying to the other side of the world, landing, two-hour rehearsal, back onstage. In the tightest clothing as well!’ he told the publication.
When he finally stepped into the spotlight again, he was overwhelmed by ‘immense gratitude.’
‘It was just so much gratitude for being back onstage, being in a show that I love so much, being with such a supportive company,’ he shared.
‘I think when you go through something very life-changing, you stop sweating the small stuff,’ he continued.
‘You often hear people talk about how their lives have changed when they’ve had major traumas happen to them, and you don’t often relate, but I can very much relate now.’
Marking his 34th birthday on Instagram, Nurden summed up the year — and his outlook — in one emotional line: ‘I survived… now it’s time to LIVE.’
