Johnny Ruffo has marked his final round of chemotherapy in a truly beautiful way. He’s lent his support to a charity walk for children with Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy.
The 29-year-old took part in the ‘Walk to Save our Sons’ — a whopping 150 km walk around Sydney that aims to raise awareness for the severe muscle-wasting condition affecting one in 3500 boys.
Speaking with TODAY before setting off, the actor and musician brushed off his own battles as he focused on those affected by the genetic killer.
“I’ll pull through it… I’m blessed, in comparison,” he said. “At the end of the day, these kids have it far worse than I do. [They] will be lucky to live to 25 or 30, whereas I’m 30 on Thursday.”
The former Home and Away star has already raised $21,000 towards finding a cure for the disease.
“I’m lucky compared to these kids,” he continued. “I would much rather give to them.”
In August, Johnny revealed he had been diagnosed with brain cancer.
“On Sunday I went into hospital with a migraine,” he told TV WEEK. “I had to have emergency surgery to have a brain tumour removed. I am on the mend and feeling positive. Keep me in your thoughts.”
The actor and musician uploaded two photos to his Instagram account. One image was of him recovering in a hospital bed, the other of a large scar running across the top of his forehead.
We first met the talented Perth boy in 2011 when he auditioned for the third season X-Factor.
The series was taken out by his fellow boys team member Reese Mastin, with Johnny placing third.
In April 2012 he then danced his way to the top, winning the coveted mirror ball in Dancing with the stars.
Johnny made his acting debut on the iconic Australian soap drama, Home and Away in April 2013 as Chris Harrington.
In 2014, Johnny’s acting chops landed him a TV WEEK Logie nomination for Most Popular New Talent.
In 2016, the actor decided to leave the show, announcing, “I’ve loved my time in Summer Bay. There’s a lot more coming up for Chris and I hope fans continue enjoying his time on screen.”
Johnny went on to appear in Channel Nine’s House of Bond.
