Rhod Gilbert says his first meal out after cancer treatment ended with him standing naked in his garden

Wales Online

08-05-2025

Rhod Gilbert says his first meal out after cancer treatment ended with him standing naked in his garden
He had to throw his clothes in a bush and hose himself down
The comedian spoke about the unfortunate mishap he had experienced after eating a Madras curry following his cancer treatment
(Image: BBC )
Rhod Gilbert has spoken of the time he went out for a meal for the first time following his cancer treatment, which saw him end up naked in his garden.
The Welsh comedian discussed the unfortunate experience in a special episode of the Off Menu podcast, presented by fellow comedians Ed Gamble and James Acaster in front of a live audience at the London Palladium. The podcast, which invites special guests into a magical restaurant, saw the Carmarthenshire-born comedian choose his favourite starter, main course, side dishes, desserts and drinks.
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For his imaginary main course, the comedian explained he would choose a Madras curry dish - something of which he was eager to eat following his cancer treatment. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter .
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In 2022, the Carmarthenshire-born comedian was diagnosed with a little-known form of head and neck cancer. In August of that year, he began treatment and was given the all clear in 2023.
While on the podcast, which he accompanied with his wife, Sian Harries, who was in the audience, he discussed what happened after he had gone out for a meal following his treatment.
"After coming through the cancer thing," he said.
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"I won't dwell on this, I will keep this brief, right? But I was on a feeding tube for a long time, so I couldn't eat or drink.
"It was five hours in the night, seven hours overnight. It was pretty miserable, right?
"So when I was better - thank you NHS and the wonderful doctors, when I got better I decided, I thought, I've missed food and eating, you know?
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"So I'm going to have a curry, and I thought, I'm going to have to take a risk because I had also got my gallbladder out."
The comedian then explained that following his treatment, he had decided to go out for food and try a Madras curry dish while he was there.
He continued: "I got through it and it was fine. I couldn't really taste a lot but it was a nice evening and everything.
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"And then the next day, I said to Sian, 'I'm going to take the dog for a walk'.
"And then, about an hour later, I walked into the house with Rhosie our dog on the lead and I was completely naked. And Sian went, 'where the f*** have you been?', and I said, 'I've been walking the dog'."
It turned out that the comedian had experienced an unfortunate mishap while walking his beloved hound.
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He explained: "Halfway home I started to panic and then I started running with the dog on the lead.
"And now I realise, that's one of the worst things you can do. And five minutes from the house, I just exploded. Exploded into my trousers. And it was coming down my leg.
"You know that scene in The Great Escape? When they are just kicking out the earth at the bottom of their trousers and it's going out over their shoes? And then my dog started eating it.
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"I'm in the f****** road at this point. We live in a quiet, rural area, so I got undressed at this point".
He continued: "By the time I got that stuff off, everything was compromised."
He then added: "I threw all my clothes in the hedge. I got to the garden, and hosed myself down head to foot with a garden hose outside.
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"And then, came into the house, naked with the dog still on a lead. So that was my first Madras back."
Ed Gamble then checked that the comedian was sure he wanted to include a Madras curry as his dream main course, which Rhod confirmed.
During the podcast episode, the Welsh comedian had also spoke about what he ate during his childhood and his favourite places to eat in Carmarthenshire.
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Although the comedian confessed he wasn't a "foodie", but that he had "come a long way".
He said: "I grew up in the 70s and 80s in west Wales. Food in our house - I mean, to be fair, my dad wasn't interested.
"My mother was working full-time, bringing up three kids, so food in our house was not exactly - I mean, I'll give you a few examples, spaghetti bolognese, in my house when I was growing up, spaghetti bolognese was a tin of tomato soup, a tin of corn beef, stir it up - that's spaghetti bolognese.
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"And I still have it, to this day, I'll still eat it. I only found out it wasn't that when I got to college."
You can listen to Rhod Gilbert's episode from the Off Menu podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.