"I am seriously ill" TV chef Johann Lafer makes cancer diagnosis public
TV chef Johann Lafer has made his cancer diagnosis public. The 68-year-old suffers from lymph node cancer and has been undergoing chemotherapy since the beginning of the year.
31.05.2026, 01:18
31.05.2026, 10:35
SDA
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Johann Lafer has made it public that he has lymphatic cancer.
- He was diagnosed around two and a half years ago following a routine examination.
- The TV chef has been undergoing chemotherapy since the beginning of 2026. After his condition worsened, the therapy is now having an effect.
TV chef Johann Lafer has made his cancer public. "I am ill. Seriously ill", Lafer said in an interview with the German newspaper "Bild". "I have lymphatic cancer."
His illness was discovered two and a half years ago. "During a routine examination during a fasting cure, a doctor saw shadows in my groin. I had no pain at all. Nothing at all," recalls the 68-year-old Austrian. The diagnosis followed later.
Lafer fights cancer with chemotherapy
"At first I hoped that everything would go away. You think: This doesn't affect me. It will go away,'" said Lafer. In January 2026, his situation deteriorated drastically, writes Bild. "Suddenly everything was swollen. The sweats at night. I could hardly sleep. That's when I realized that something was going completely in the wrong direction," said Lafer.
He has been battling the cancer with chemotherapy since the beginning of the year. "Each chemo runs for almost 24 hours. There are bottles everywhere. It completely knocks you out", said Lafer. However, he also shares positive news: "You can see that the lumps are getting smaller. That the treatment is working. And that gives me strength."
Giving up? "No. Dying is not an option for me. I want to work, I have to work. I need this. I still have so many plans and so many ideas."
"I'm doing well under the circumstances"
According to his agency, Lafer said in a statement that he was doing well under the circumstances. "I am particularly pleased to be able to continue my work and attend many planned appointments and appearances."
The news initially came as a great shock to him and his family. "We are all the more grateful that the treatment is working well and the situation is developing positively."
Lafer has been reaching a large TV audience as a TV chef for decades, including with the ZDF programs "Lafer! Lights! Delicious!" (2006-2017) and "Die Küchenschlacht" (since 2008).
