Last month, Ben Fordham shared the unfortunate news that his dad John’s throat cancer had returned – just weeks after a family holiday to celebrate him being cancer-free.
In spite of the bad news, the co-host of Australian Ninja Warrior says the family are remaining positive.
“Dad has always taken the approach that he’s here for a good time, not a long time,” Ben tells TV WEEK.
“He’d rather enjoy himself than sit around worrying about the future. It’s not a great prognosis for him, but he takes the view that there’s nothing he can do about it. The secret to life is worrying about things you can change, and not worrying about the things you can’t.”
Ben, 42, says his dad is looking forward to welcoming what will be his fifth grandchild in September.
“He told me that when you have an uncertain future, it helps to have something like that in the diary,” Ben explains. “He’s using that as motivation.”
The Australian Ninja Warrior host is staying positive.
John was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2017 after noticing a lump on his neck. He beat the cancer and set up a charity called The Head And Neck Cancer Foundation last year.
Since the first scare, the family has been closer than ever.
“We’re a really tight family and not the kind of people who haven’t told each other how much we love each other,” he says. “I owe any success I’ve had to my mum and dad.”
Becoming a father – as well as hosting Australian Ninja Warrior – has encouraged Ben to make his health a priority. Following the second season of the hit show, the dad-of-two decided to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
“There were only so many Ninjas I could watch looking all fit and buff that I thought I had to do something myself,” Ben says.
“When I turned up for the second season, Bec [Ben’s co-host Rebecca Maddern] was pregnant – but I looked like the pregnant one!”
Over the past year, Ben has thrown himself into exercise and healthy eating.
“I want to set the right example for my kids,” he says. “The best way to do that is by actually doing it [training].
“The kids ask me why I do it and I tell them it’s because I want to be around for a long time and jump on the trampoline with them. I want to keep climbing trees and having fun.”
Ben says he feels “happier” since embarking on his new fitness journey.
“I’ve got more energy and I feel more focused,” he reveals. “I went from 97kg to about 84kg, and I’ve gone down to 82kg at times. That’s a significant chunk. When I pick up Pearl, I’m like, ‘Wow, I’ve lost that much weight’. That’s when it dawns on you how much you’ve been carrying around.”
Being around for his children Freddie, four, and Pearl, one, as they get older means everything to Ben, especially now that he and wife Jodie Speers have another little one on the way. Ben can’t wait to welcome his third child in September, and admits it’s reignited his desire for more.
“I’ve got that bug again,” he reveals. “I was really happy with two children, but then Jodie said she wanted a third. She’s really asked for trouble now because
I just love the whole thing of not knowing whether it’s a boy of girl.
“And then you get the first words, the first steps, the first laugh… those things are addictive.
“I’ve broken the news to Jodie that I may not be happy with just three. We just need a bigger house and maybe a nanny, and then we could have 10! I’m addicted to the baby buzz.”
