Neighbours' Harold Bishop exiting after Ian Smith, 86, diagnosed with terminal cancer

"I found out a few months back that I have cancer," he told 10 News First.

"I have a very aggressive, non-fixable cancer, and they expect me to die."

He continued: "I want to stay alive with quality as long as I can. If they can do that, I'm very happy. But I wake up every morning hoping there's no pain because I know that's the beginning of the bad part."

Due to his diagnosis, Smith has left his role in Neighbours and has already filmed his final scenes for the Australian soap.

Neighbours shared the news of Smith's departure on its Instagram page, beginning: "Harold waves goodbye to Ramsay Street."

The statement continues: "We're sharing the sad news that Ian Smith will soon be stepping away from the beloved role of Harold Bishop.

"Ian first played Harold in 1987 and it's been a huge privilege to welcome him back to the show over the years, most recently in the current season."

Anne Charleston will be reprising her role as Madge Bishop and will join Smith in some of his final scenes.

"In what context Anne will appear is yet to be revealed, but to have the iconic couple reunited will be one final treat for fans," the statement continued.

"Erinsborough won't quite be the same again, but rest assured that Harold is set to have a send-off fit for Ramsay Street royalty."

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Executive producer Jason Herbison said of the news: "The way the residents of Ramsay Street feel about Harold is how we feel about Ian - we couldn't love him more than we do.

"Despite the challenges he was facing with his health, he wanted to give Harold a proper send-off.

"It was a very emotional moment on set as we paid tribute to him and the incredible contribution he has made to the show."

Back in May, Smith returned to the soap as a regular cast member for the first time in 15 years, telling RadioTimes.com: "I made the mistake of thinking I had retired!"

He said: "I thought I had made enough provisions, but no. I had about four wonderful things to do, but you can't do the same four things for the rest of your life. And so I was getting a bit bored and while I was out fishing one day, the phone rang – it was Neighbours asking me if I would come back.

"I took all of a tenth of a second then said, 'Yes, please!' What actor at the age of 85 can experience that beautiful thing of doing something they love, being in a studio, standing in front of a camera and everyone telling them they’re wonderful? And I only film one day a week, so it's lots of lovely bits and bobs."

Neighbours is available to stream on Amazon Freevee.

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