Actor Doug Cockle, famed for his performance as Geralt of Rivia in CD Projekt Red‘s The Witcher games, has announced that he has been diagnosed with cancer.

While Cockle is very well known for his iconic timbre that brought the monster slayer to life, he has also lent his voice to Driver: San Francisco, Horizon Zero Dawn, RuneScape, Terminator: Resistance and Hunt: Showdown.

On Tuesday (June 6), Cockle disclosed news of his health status on Twitter, quote retweeting Prostate Cancer UK’s post promoting awareness of its online risk checker.

“I had no idea. Random check and Boom… I have full blown prostate cancer,” said the actor (via PC Gamer). “Treatment ongoing but looking good so far. Men over 50… get a PSA test… just in case.”

Though this type of cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality in men, survival for prostate cancer is “generally good” with more than 95 out of 100 men in England expected to survive their cancer for one year or more following their diagnosis, according to Cancer Research UK.

The announcement led to an enormous wave of messages of support for the actor. “We know you can beat this, Witcher!” replied the official account for The Witcher. Meanwhile, fellow actors Matthew Mercer and Neil Newbon expressed their compassion for Cockle’s cancer diagnosis, and The Witcher fans appeared in their droves to send well wishes.

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A screenshot of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's cinematic trailer featuring Geralt of Rivia on horseback
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, CREDIT: CD Projekt Red

Cockle’s point about the lack of symptoms is pertinent, as prostate cancer is a slow-progressing cancer and its later-stage symptoms can be confused with other conditions. Fortunately, his candour and emphasis on the importance of testing — even if the individual feels fine in themselves — will likely help boost awareness of the cancer and how to test for it.

In other news, The Witcher developer CD Projekt Red recently denied that it is being acquired by Sony, as work on multiple Witcher games continues.



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