Terry Bradshaw admits his life changed in four ways after cancer – ‘In case I die’

NFL icon Terry Bradshaw, who was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2021 and a rare form of skin cancer a few months later, says he has a new outlook on life

Terry Bradshaw has opened up about his transformation since his double cancer scare.

The Pittsburgh Steelers legend, 76, battled bladder cancer in November 2021 before being diagnosed with a rare and severe form of skin cancer on his neck a few months later. Bradshaw chose to reveal his condition publicly after viewers noted his shortness of breath during a FOX NFL Sunday broadcast in September 2022.

Bradshaw believes that facing his mortality has shifted his perspective significantly. Speaking to AARP, he reflected: “I’m a milder guy, I think, more involved with the kids. I think I’m a better husband.

“I am travelling more now. Maybe quietly, subconsciously, I’m thinking, ‘I need to travel more in case I die’. Going to Scotland, going to Ireland, going to France. I’ve been to Canada, I’m going to Alaska. So maybe that’s the impact right there.”

Despite the severity of his diagnoses, Bradshaw claims he never feared death and faced his treatment head-on before being given a clean bill of health.

He said: “I’m kind of a fearless guy, to a fault. The two bouts of cancer… I never thought I was going to die. It never crossed my mind. I wasn’t even nervous.”

Bradshaw insists he never thought he was going to die ( 
Image:
Peter G. Forest/Getty Images)
Anxiety, however, crept in while waiting for follow-up results. He added: “For the follow-ups, I was nervous, ‘You’re cancer-free, we’ll see you in 90s days’. Blood work, PET scans, waiting three days later [for the results], then the phone rings and your wife goes, ‘Good news, you’re cancer-free,’ and you’re like, ‘Phew’.

On his decision to keep the diagnosis private, he told TODAY last year: “I didn’t talk about it because I didn’t want pity.

Bradshaw didn’t want pity following his diagnosis ( 
Image:
AARP)
“I didn’t talk about it because a lot of celebrities – unfortunately, I’m one of those – when they say this, I think the perception around America with all the millions of people is, ‘Aw, look at him. Bless his heart. He has cancer. Well, my husband died of cancer! I didn’t want that.”

On the incident on FOX, which raised concerns among fans, he detailed: “I couldn’t breathe. That’s when everybody notices. ‘What’s wrong with him?’ social media went, ‘Get rid of him. He needs to be off the air. He’s an embarrassment’. And I was like, ‘Embarrassment? I got cancer’.