John Farnham is seen in rare public outing for his wife’s 70th birthday – after Aussie music icon had his jaw reconstructed by 26 doctors following cancer scare

John Farnham was spotted in a rare public outing on Tuesday when he celebrated his wife Jill’s 70th birthday at Grossi Florentino following his recent surgery.

The Australian music legend, 75, underwent a jaw reconstruction, which lasted for 12 hours and involved 26 doctors, after he was diagnosed with oral cancer in 2022.

Now it seems the hitmaker is back to enjoying life with his loved ones as he stepped out in Melbourne with his partner to celebrate with their nearest and dearest.

In images shared to Instagram by his son Robert, John could be seen having a conversation with a family friend as guests had dinner at the lavish restaurant.

They later viewed a montage video which looked back over Jill’s life and her long marriage with the Angels singer. 

Australian accordion star Hans also made an appearance at the gathering as he performed Kylie Minogue’s recent hit Padam Padam. 

John Farnham was spotted in a rare public outing on Tuesday when he celebrated his wife Jill’s 70th birthday at Grossi Florentino following his recent surgery

At one point, the musician managed to get a smile out of John when he promised to play one of the rocker’s old hits. 

As the evening drew to a close, John and Jill stood up to snap a group photo with their sons Robert and James, and their respective partners Melissa and Tessa. 

The outing comes after James revealed his famous father is ‘kicking goals’ after having a cancerous growth removed from his mouth in 2022. 

‘He’s doing great,’ James, who is expecting his first child with Tessa, said on Sunrise last month. ‘He’s walking around, kicking goals, and annoying mum as normal.’

‘As long as he’s annoying someone, you know he’s on the mend,’ host Natalie Barr said.

John has spent long months in recovery over the last two years amid a harrowing cancer battle.

He discovered he had the cancerous growth in his mouth after his wife Jill insisted on taking him to the doctor for a check up when he developed a persistent mouth ulcer.

The procedure, which saw the tumour and part of his jaw removed, lasted nearly 12 hours. 

The hitmaker is back to enjoying life with his loved ones as he stepped out in Melbourne with his partner to celebrate with their nearest and dearest. Pictured with their sons Robert and James, and their respective partners Melissa and Tessa

John then underwent eight gruelling weeks of radiation and, 12 months later, was declared cancer free.

In his memoir The Voice Inside, John detailed some of the harrowing details of his cancer journey.

‘My facial disfigurement from the surgery means I can’t open my mouth wide enough for a strip of spaghetti, let alone to sing,’ he wrote.

‘I can’t get the movement to make the sounds I want to make, that’s where the vibrations and my voice come from. It’s a very disconcerting thing. And trying hurts.’

He said while he is still not yet able to belt out his trademark voice, he still has high hopes that he will one day be able to sing again.

‘I was given a gift and to be able to get out there and affect people in some way was special, I would like to continue doing that,’ he shared.

John also said he believes the tumour came about as a result of his long-term smoking habit, which he eventually managed to kick.

‘Cancer doesn’t discriminate, but as soon as I was told the results, I couldn’t help thinking it was my own fault, I smoked very heavily all my life,’ he said.

He said he started smoking at the age of 14 and would do so in secret after his disapproving parents once caught him.

His memoir was co-written with Poppy Stockell and sees John tell his story in his own words and with his signature humour.

The book documents John’s early life and stardom growing up in Melbourne in the 1960s, to his comeback 1986 album Whispering Jack.