Stanley Tucci Had To Use Feeding Tube For 6 Months During ‘Brutal’ Cancer Battle

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The Devil Wears Prada star, Stanley Tucci, 62, got candid about his battle with oral cancer during a new interview on Willie Geist‘s Sunday Sitdown on Apr. 30. When recalling his late wife, Kate Tucci‘s battle with breast cancer that led to her death in 2009, Stanley revealed he had his own health scare in 2017.  He noted that the cancer treatments were “brutal” and resulted in him losing a substantial amount of weight. “I lost 35 pounds… I couldn’t eat,” Stanley said. “I had a feeding tube for six months. Everything tasted like you-know-what and smelled like you-know-what.”

His own cancer diagnosis came eight years after Kate’s death and did not make it any easier for the 62-year-old to process the news. “It was terrifying,” he said of his diagnosis. “My first wife died of cancer so when I got it I was completely shocked.” Despite this, the Oscar-nominated actor was able to rely on his second wife, Felicity Blunt, 41, for support. He noted that his wife of 10 years had to “drag” him to his treatments. “I was so afraid, but Felicity was very insistent,” he shared. “I mean they had to drag me kicking and screaming. I wouldn’t be around if I hadn’t done it.”

Earlier in the interview, Stanley and Willie chatted about the actor’s success since The Devil Wears Prada premiered in 2006. “You could be walking down the street and there could be a construction worker and he goes, ‘You know I love The Devil Wears Prada‘”, he said with a chuckle. “I love that! It just crosses over to everyone.” Stanley shockingly noted that he was “hard pressed for work” following the blockbuster hit, but eventually found success again. Three years later he starred alongside the iconic Meryl Streep once more in Julie and Julia.

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These days, however, Stanley is busy promoting his new series, Citadel, which stars Priyanka Chopra, 40, and actor Richard Madden, 36. Willie noted how this series a change of pace for Stanley, as he typically is not known for his work on action projects. When asked what about Citadel appealed to him, he noted it was just that. “No I’m not cast in those [action movies] for some reason… I don’t know why,” he said. “But it’s really fun to do.” Stanley even explained that modern technology allows for filming action to be “not as uncomfortable as it once was.” The action-packed series is now streaming on Amazon Prime.

Stanley recently wowed on the red carpet for the premiere of Citadel in London on Apr. 14. He took to Instagram that day to show off his monochromatic black suit. “London’s Calling,” he captioned the carousel of photos alongside his co-stars. Meanwhile, Priyanka, who is married to Nick Jonas, wowed in a black gown. Stanley shared the official trailer for the show on Mar. 6. “On April 28, enter a new age of espionage. Watch the trailer for @CitadelOnPrime now. #citadelonprime,” he captioned the Instagram video.