'I have a fighting chance': Only Fools And Horses star Patrick Murray, 65, is diagnosed with cancer... four months after John Challis died at 79 following long battle with the illness

• The actor confirmed the news on Tuesday evening while publicly endorsing a new government drive to get mystery aches and pains checked out 
• Murray is best known for his  role as Trilby loving wide-boy Mickey Pearce in BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, a role that defined his career 
• Co-star John Challis died 'peacefully in his sleep' at the age of 79 on September 19 after a long battle with cancer 

Former Only Fools And Horses star Patrick Murray has been diagnosed with cancer after doctor's discovered a malignant tumour in his lung. 

The actor, 65, best known for his role as Trilby loving wide-boy Mickey Pearce, confirmed the news on Tuesday evening while publicly endorsing a new government drive to get mystery aches and pains checked out.  

The announcement comes just four months after former co-star John Challis - Cockney car dealer Terrance 'Boycie' Boyce - died of cancer, aged 79. 

He tweeted: 'Naturally I wanted to keep my own health problems private, but failing to fully endorse this ad would be selfish.

'Thanks to my ultrascan I have a fighting chance. It showed my organs needed further investigation and tumours were spotted. This led to a PET scan which covers a much larger area.

'To my wonderful surprise these lesions were not cancerous but the scan did find an early-stage cancerous tumour in my lung. This has since been removed.' 

He added: 'I am tweeting now, which wouldn't be the case if I hadn't had the ultrasound all those months ago.

'A lot of people put these symptoms down to age and the discomfort to simply having a weak stomach. Please don't ignore it if it persists. 

'As for me, and thanks to the NHS, I can now see the same beautiful horizon as you.'

Patrick played the role of 'spiv' Mickey in 20 episodes of Only Fools and Horses during its 22-year run, branded the slang term for his involvement in petty crime and dealing in black market goods.

He became best known for his outlandish declarations about his success in both business and women, and frequently took advantage of Rodney's inexperience in the industry by stealing his money, and girlfriends. 

After the show ended in 2003, landed several big-screen roles including The Firm and Curse Of The Pink Panther, but eventually quit acting to become a taxi driver in Kent.

Patrick was eventually forced to retire from work after battling Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which causes breathing difficulties.

He married his wife Anong, 36, in Thailand in 2016, and they were drawn into a Visa row in 2017, when his spouse and daughter's application to move to the UK was denied.

Speaking on Loose Women at the time, he said: 'I wanted to get her a visa but it was hard so I had to come back here.

'Being out of the industry for so long, the work dried up so I went back to driving an executive car, a Mercedes, to do it. I only saw my baby on the phone for two years, I was a Skype dad.'

Luckily Patrick was later reuniting with his family after a battle with the Home Office in 2018. 

The news comes after John Challis, Murray's Only Fools And Horses co-star, died 'peacefully in his sleep' on September 19 after a long battle with cancer. 

Challis was best-known for his portrayal of second-hand car dealer Boycie - a cigar-smoking businessman with a mocking laugh who butted heads with Del Boy - in the beloved British sitcom, alongside Sir David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst.

Speaking shortly after his death, Sir David, who played Derek 'Del Boy' Trotter on the hit show, called Challis a 'dear friend' and 'wonderful actor' and said he was pleased the star had witnessed the outpouring of admiration recently shown for the 40th anniversary of the first episode of the sitcom.

In a statement Sir David said: 'It is with much sadness to hear that John Challis, a dear friend, has passed away.

'He was a wonderful actor, a gentleman in the true sense of the word and I know he will be missed by so many.'

He added: 'A character so well loved by the many fans of that show so I am pleased that he witnessed the outpouring of admiration recently shown for the 40th Anniversary of the first episode in 1981. I send my love and condolences to his wife, Carol.'