The Young And The Restless star Eric Braeden, 82, reveals cancer diagnosis and undergoing treatment

Soap opera legend, Eric Braeden, shared a health update in a Facebook video uploaded Friday revealing that he has been diagnosed with cancer.

The Young And The Restless actor, 82 – who recently called out Eva Longoria – remained positive as he explained his diagnosis.

During the 13-minute clip, the Titanic star stated that he is currently undergoing six weeks of treatment known as immunotherapy to treat high-grade cancer cells near his bladder.

He discovered he had cancer while recovering from knee surgery and “started having problems with my prostate.”

“I hate being so personal, but I think this might be good for some of the older guys who may or may not listen to this,” the actor explained to his fans and followers.

Eric, who was born in Germany, explained that he had frequent urination and had gotten to a point where it happened “every half an hour.”

He visited a urologist who suggested he undergo a procedure known as a UroLift, the aim of which is to relieve pressure on the urethra.

Meanwhile, however, Braed revealed that the problem had “got so bad I couldn’t pee anymore.”

He then admitted, “And that, my friends, I can tell you, is one of the most painful experiences I’ve had.”

With the problem still affecting his daily life, the actor made the decision to visit Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, where he was able to speak with another urologist.

After relieving pressure on his bladder during the first visit, Eric returned a few days later, where the doctor underwent an examination that revealed he had cancer.

“Needless to say I was surprised, but I was determined to deal with it,” explained the star, who plays Victor Newman in The Young And The Restless.

Eric remembered having the UroLift procedure, where the doctor also removed the cancer during surgery.

A week later, he returned to the doctor’s office where a biopsy report had come in, showing that he had high-grade cancer cells near the bladder that had yet to be treated.

Eric was told by the doctor to undergo a treatment known as immunotherapy once a week for six weeks.

According to the American Cancer Society, immunotherapy, “is a treatment that uses a person’s own immune system to fight cancer,” and “can stimulate or change the way the immune system works so that it can find and attack cancer cells.”

Braeden explained that he was told he would most likely experience weakness and also “flu-like symptoms” after each round of treatment.

“I didn’t really have a bad reaction the first day. It was okay,” he revealed, stating that he was last through the second week of treatment and reassuring his fans that he was “fine.”

“So that’s where I am now. I’m a little confused, but not really much,” he said positively. The star added that he has been trying to keep up a normal, daily routine and continue exercising, but is not going “all out.”

‘I have now learned to listen more to my body and not to pull out all the stops. I am going to get it. And soon I’ll be in top shape again.’

While undergoing the immunotherapy treatments, Eric is still able to continue working on set, and he got emotional as he shared his passion for acting and embraced the support of his fans.

‘I’m still happy to be able to go to work. It distracts me. I like acting. I like knowing I’m entertaining people,” Eric said, then paused emotionally as he turned his head slightly away from the camera as he held back tears.

“I like your support. It means a lot. So if you have someone in the family going through this, support them. It can work,” he added motivatingly.

‘I also know someone close to me who has had cancer, with chemotherapy, which is more difficult, much more difficult. They survived. So nowadays there is so much progress in cancer treatment. You can survive.’

The Emmy winner took a moment to pause and before saying goodbye to his followers, he blew a quick kiss toward the camera.

Eric is known for appearing on the popular CBS soap opera The Young And The Restless since 1980. He starred in a whopping 43 seasons and nearly 4,000 episodes.

He has also taken on other roles over the course of his career, such as the role of John Jacob Astor in the Oscar-winning film Titanic. The star, who released a memoir in 2017, also played smaller roles in projects like The Bold And The Beautiful, The Nanny, and also Murder, She Wrote.

Braeden tied the knot with his high school sweetheart, Dale Russell Gudegast, in 1966, and the two share a son, filmmaker Christian Gudegast, 54.