Coming to terms with death was a positive thing

When comedian and Spitting Image impressionist Matt Forde discovered he had cancer, he endured an agonising wait to discover if it had spread. Now, as he prepares to go on tour, he opens up about his life-changing diagnosis, his belief in the NHS... and why Labour is failing to beat Reform

- By Andrew Papworth

WITH the threat of World War Three, the NHS in crisis and immigration spiralling out of control, it might not seem like a time to be upbeat about politics, let alone laugh about it.

But if anyone can find positivity among doom and gloom, it is political comedian and impersonator Matt Forde because he found solace and hope in the darkest moment of all.

The newlywed comic was enjoying stand-up success, TV appearances and his Political Party podcast where he interviews leading politicians when he was suddenly struck with back pain at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Assuming it was sciatica, the famous mimic of Donald Trump, Sir Keir Starmer and many others visited a doctor, only to be told it was actually cancer growing on his spine.

"There was a period where they thought it might have metastasised, and I knew that was bad were that to be the case, and I knew that would mean that perhaps my time is limited," the 42-year-old tells the Express.

Yet Forde, from Nottingham, speaks movingly of how staring death in the face was a surprisingly positive experience that lifted a weight from his shoulders.

"I found being forced to think about coming to terms with your own death a really positive thing," he explains. "You obviously know you're going to die [at some point], you just don't want it to be yet.

"It just made me think that whenever the day comes, it'll be fine. It definitely made me think, whenever it comes, I'm OK with it. And that is a lovely feeling of peace."

After surgery in 2023 to remove a part of his spine, Forde had to learn how to walk again. He has a stoma, which means wearing a colostomy bag.

But following a year out, he is now back to a busier schedule than ever. He recently finished his End of an Era stand-up tour and is taking his new Defying Gravity show to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from July 30 to August 24.