John Farnham reveals his harrowing oral cancer battle has left him unable to sing or fully open his mouth: ‘It’s a very disconcerting thing’

John Farnham has opened up about his terrifying battle with cancer, which left him unable to fully open his mouth.

The Australian singer, 75, was declared cancer-free a year ago and has shared details of the harrowing ordeal in his upcoming memoir, titled The Voice Inside.

He revealed that he can no longer sing or open his mouth fully after undergoing a grueling 12-hour operation to remove a cancerous tumor from his mouth.

“My facial disfigurement from the operation means I can’t open my mouth wide enough for a strip of spaghetti, let alone sing,” John describes in an excerpt published in the Sydney Morning Herald.

‘I can’t get the movement to make the sounds I want to make, that’s where the vibrations and my voice come from. It’s a very disturbing thing. And trying hurts.”

He said that although he is still unable to perform his signature voice, he is still hopeful that he will one day be able to sing again.

‘I was given a gift and it was special to be able to come out and influence people in some way, and I would like to continue to do that. Although I’m not pinning all my hopes on it, we’ll see,” he said.

John also said he believes the tumor developed as a result of his long-term smoking habit, which he was eventually able to kick.

‘Cancer doesn’t discriminate, but as soon as I got the results I couldn’t help but think it was my own fault. “I smoked very heavily all my life,” he said.

He said he started smoking at the age of 14 and would do so in secret after his disapproving parents once caught him.

His memoirs were co-written with Poppy Stockwell and Farnham tells his story in his own words and with his trademark humour.

The book, out on October 30, documents Farnham’s early life and stardom growing up in Melbourne in the 1960s, up to his 1986 comeback album, Whispering Jack.

In August 2022, the hitmaker was shockingly diagnosed with oral cancer and subsequently underwent a 12-hour surgery to remove the cancerous tumor.

During the surgery, part of his jaw was also removed and he also underwent reconstructive surgery.

The 75-year-old singer details his battle with cancer in an excerpt from his memoir in which he graphically described his recovery process after undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous mouth tumor.

In a statement following his latest surgery for oral cancer, the music superstar said he was finally in the comfort of his own home, surrounded by his loving family, and felt like “the luckiest man I know.”

“It’s been a year since my first surgery and I’ve lost count of how many other procedures there have been since then,” he said.

In August 2023, Farnham confirmed he was cancer-free and his son said he was doing “really, really well” at the time.