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Football legend Ian St John is bravely battling cancer.

The former Liverpool star and Scottish international has recently had both his bladder and his prostate removed.

Ian, who celebrated his 76th birthday last Saturday, spent two weeks in hospital in April.

Now he has suffered another setback and has been told he requires further, less serious surgery.

But at his home where he is being nursed back to health by his loving wife Betsy, he has vowed to continue fighting the disease.

“The prognosis is not good because I’ve got to go back” he said.

“But if they can sort it this time, then hopefully...”

Ian, who made 425 appearances for the Anfield club and played 21 times for Scotland, had suffered from bladder cancer for a number of years.

He said: “We weren’t too bothered about that as we felt it was contained.”

But he added: “Cancer, it creeps around down there and the problem had gone from my bladder, where we hoped it would be contained, but it wasn’t contained, and it got into the prostate.

“I’ve had bladder cancer for the last two or three years but it spread into my prostate and therefore the decision was made to remove both of them. That was done 8-10 weeks ago.

“I was told the options and they included chemotherapy and radiotherapy, there are different ways to treat cancer.

“But my specialist felt it might be better to do what he did, which was to remove both the prostate and the bladder.”

Ian entertained millions both on the pitch and later on TV, as part of a famous double act with ex England and Spurs star Jimmy Greaves.

Their Saturday lunch-time soccer show, Saint and Greavsie, which ran for seven years from 1985, with its catch phrase “It’s a funny old game”, was must-watch TV for sports fans.

And despite his current illness, The Saint still has the same cheeky glint in his eye and beaming smile as he spoke of the support he has received from his family and friends.

Current Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has sent him a signed club shirt, which Ian has promised to wear, playing football with his grandchildren in the garden.

“The manager sent me a signed shirt, which I will wear when I get fit and am jogging around the garden” he grinned.

Ian had surgery at Arrowe Park hospital on Merseyside, where he has been under the care of consultant Nigel Parr.

Both Ian and his wife are full of praise for the specialist and his health team.

“He has been fabulous” said Mrs St John, 67.

Ian says he is now taking things easy, just as his surgeon advised.

“I was told at the time it would be about three months before I would get fit again. I thought ‘not for me, I’ll be be back fit before then’ but it takes time, you have got to be sensible about it.”

Although he is back on his feet, he faces more surgery in the coming weeks.

“I hope that the operation will be conclusive, that it will hopefully tidy up what is down there.

“It is an operation to mop things up - that is a technical term” he laughed.

Ian, who hosts a weekly local radio football show in Liverpool, added: “And then hopefully I will be fit for the coming season.”

After losing a stone in weight since his major op, he has started to eat normally again and has been exercising in his home gym and walking his dogs around the woods near his home in Wirral.

“You go from struggling to walk around the garden to taking your dogs through the woods. People should not be afraid. You’ve just got to fight it but you can’t rush it, that is the best bit of advice Mr Parr gave me.

“But it puts pressure on my wife to do everything for me. It was my birthday on Saturday and I got a card from my grandsons, it had a man lying around at home reading his paper, that is me at the moment” he laughed.

Ian added: “There is nothing you can do about it other than battle on.

“There is no point in crying about it and saying ‘poor me’, you just battle on.

“People who have had it will tell you, ‘you can get fit again’.

“I’m getting back to a certain fitness level and gradually getting fitter by the day. I’ve got a little gym at home and do a little bit, gradually building up.”

The former player who was adored by Liverpool and Scotland supporters, has urged all men aged 50+ to get themselves checked for prostate cancer.

And he said it need not be a life sentence.

Ian who has a son and daughter and four grandchildren, added: “The more information people get about it the better, it is no mystery.

“They say that anybody over the age of 50 should get tested. It is the age to start it because it is a chance of catching it.

“To anyone reading this that has got cancer in the areas that I have, you will get through it. It is a day to day thing, but you just battle through it.”

Ian’s good friend Jimmy Greaves, 74, said: “I am obviously well aware how unwell Ian is.

“I spoke to him on the phone at some length a couple of weeks ago and we had a very good chat and a good laugh about the coming World Cup.

“I will give him a ring in a week or two to see how he is getting on.

“It goes without saying, me and my family wish him all the very best.”

Ian signed for Liverpool from his home town team Motherwell in 1961 and went on to make 425 appearances for the Reds, scoring 118 goals, including the winner in the 1965 FA cup final against Leeds United .

When Liverpool manager Bill Shankly was questioned by the Anfield board as to why he wanted to spend a club record of £37,500 on St John, he replied: “We can’t afford not to buy him!”

He went on to help Liverpool to twice win the first division title and became part of Shankly’s legendary sixties’ side.

Ian also won 21 caps for Scotland, netting nine times.