Def Leppard’s Vivian Campbell talks about his cancer treatment

Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2013 and has had ups and downs with his health since then. He has now revealed that the cancer has returned once again and he is continuing treatment to manage it.

Def Leppard’s Vivian Campbell talks about his cancer treatment

“Well, I think you have to keep moving forward. And I do think that that’s what helped me, even when I was at a really low ebb with cancer treatment. The fact that I could still continue to work, that gives me something to live for, something that you enjoy, that you’re passionate about, that you can wake up in the morning and look forward to. I think that deflects, that takes away from focusing too much on cancer.”

“Unfortunately, I have met people in my life who, when they’ve gotten a cancer diagnosis, they’ve only focused on that. And they think, ‘Oh, I can’t do anything. I need to stay in bed. I can’t eat this. I can’t do that. I can’t go there.’ I’ve never felt that way. I’ve always felt like I’m gonna continue to live my life as much as possible. In fact, even more so. After getting a cancer diagnosis, it amplifies that desire to tick all the boxes, to do the things you wanna do. But I also consider myself very fortunate because I caught my cancer early. So, it’s always been more about managing my cancer.”

He continued:

“There’s only been one time that I felt it was gonna kill me. In the winter of 2023, I got really scared about what was happening and the pace at which it was happening. And I realized at that point that I had to do a donor transplant. It was my only hope to survive. And that’s what I did. I did that in January of ’25. I did a donor transplant. Unfortunately, it didn’t stick. So the cancer has returned. And I’m continuing treatments to manage it. I’ll probably have to do another transplant within a few years with another donor to try and see if maybe that would cure me.”

“But in the meantime, I’m certainly not slowing down. I’m doing as much with my life as possible, not just with Def Leppard and with Last in Line. I’m also rally driving, ’cause I always wanted to do that. So I’ve been doing that more and more, ’cause I love cars and I love driving. And as a child, I thought, ‘If I don’t play guitar for a living, I’m gonna be a race car driver.’ So, I’m very, very, very fortunate and blessed that I get to do both.”

Vivian Campbell continued:

“So, yeah, life is for the living. And I encourage everyone to look after their own health. And if you are unfortunate enough to get a cancer diagnosis to overcome the fear. Fear is inevitable when you’re first told those words. But once you get over that, you gotta realize just how to manage it and how to deal with it as best as possible, and just don’t give in,” Vivian Campbell said in an interview with Radio YSKL FM (Transcribed by Blabbermouth).

Vivian Campbell was Dio guitarist from 1982 to 1986, appearing on the classic albums “Holy Diver” (1983), “The Last In Line” (1984) and “Sacred Heart” (1985). After being fired from the band, he recorded with other groups like Whitesnake, Riverdogs and Shadow King before joining Def Leppard in 1992.