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Stanley Tucci is opening up about his previous battle with cancer.

The Citadel actor recently spoke about undergoing chemotherapy and radiation after being diagnosed with cancer at the base of his tongue in 2017, crediting his wife Felicity Blunt—who is the sister of Stanley's Devil Wears Prada costar Emily Blunt— for providing such a strong support system.

"I was so afraid," Stanley told Willie Geist on the Sunday Sitdown April 30. "But Felicity was very insistent."

The Hunger Games alum further maintained that without Felicity's help he wouldn't have made it to the other side. "They had to drag me kicking and screaming," he recalled, "but I wouldn't be around if I hadn't done it."

Stanley noted that receiving his diagnosis brought back the memories of his late wife Kate Tucci, who died in 2009 at age 49 after battling breast cancer.

"My late wife and I, we traveled all over the world trying to find a cure for her. So when I got it, I was completely shocked," the 62-year-old—who shared 23-year-old twins Nicolo and Isabel, and daughter Camilla, 21, with Kate—continued. "I was terrified, absolutely terrified."

 

Luckily, the cancer didn't spread elsewhere in his body—which Stanley called"a big deal"—but it wasn't an easy road to remission.

"The treatments were brutal," he confessed. "I lost 35 pounds. I couldn't eat. I had a feeding tube for six months and everything tasted like you know what and smelled like you know what. And it took months and months and months for me to finally be able to eat again and then taste properly again."

In the years since being declared cancer-free, Stanley has spoken about his journey with the disease. In fact, last year, the Lovely Bones actor expressed his gratitude for Felicity—with whom he shares son Matteo, 8, and daughter Emilia, 5—amid a particularly difficult moment during his battle.

 

 

"They couldn't do surgery because the tumor was so big," he told People in March 2022. "Felicity's undying attention, affection and encouragement got me through it."

These days, Stanley is grateful for being able to enjoy life with his family.

So what does the actor do on a perfect day off? As he put it, "Going to the farmer's market, buy a bunch of food, start cooking, play with the kids. And then have people over for dinner. To me, that's just a great day."

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