As he battles stage-four bowel cancer, the beloved Kiwi comedian opens up about how he and his family are coping. Photo / Woman's Day
As he battles stage-four bowel cancer, the beloved Kiwi comedian opens up about how he and his family are coping. Photo / Woman's Day
He might be on his final round of chemotherapy before he takes five months off to spend time with his “thick as thieves” whānau, but Dai Henwood is still one of the busiest comedians in Aotearoa.
As well as currently starring on Taskmaster NZ and recent stints on stand-up stages around the country, the beloved entertainer has now taken on another gig – as an ambassador for the Cancer Society, a role that sits very close to his heart.
“It’s been pretty cool for me,” grins Henwood, 45, speaking exclusively to Woman’s Day. “I’m in that situation of being able to give back a little, which selfishly helps me – helping people is making me feel really good about things.”
Having been diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2020, the Lego Masters NZ host is unfortunately all too familiar with the disease, especially now his cancer has progressed to stage four. “It’s a diagnosis for the whole family,” he says reflectively.
Henwood adds that his wife of 17 years, art teacher Jo, 41, is an incredible support. “She’s been an absolute rock for me at the coalface. Because we’ve been dealing with it for a while, we’ve found a rhythm to it – knowing when it gets a bit heavy or when we need some space or a date night. It’s something you learn along the way because there’s no path to follow. It’s that thing about finding out what self-care means for each other.”
Henwood’s two kids, Charlie, 10, and Lucy, 7, are aware of the rough journey their dad is on. “I never wanted to lie to my children,” he says. “They understand that it’s not like a broken arm, like, ‘I’ll get my cast off and then it’s back to programming as usual!’ We’re dealing with things in smaller timelines and living in the moment.”
Having been diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2020, the Lego Masters NZ host is unfortunately all too familiar with the disease. Photo / Woman's Day
He’s excited to soon be heading to Australia for a break with Jo and the kids. He chuckles, “We’re going to the NRL grand final in Sydney in the sunshine – nothing like this to force you to live in the moment!”
Although he stresses how different everyone’s cancer journeys are, Henwood does have a couple of tips for anyone who has a family member or friend going through treatment. His main advice is, “Don’t ask. Just do. Patients have massive decision fatigue. Just say, ‘I’m coming to pick the kids up in 10 minutes to take them to Rainbow’s End.’ Or bring round some kai, like, ‘Here you go. Rip into it!’”
The former Dancing With The Stars host admits he hasn’t always been transparent about his diagnosis. He smiles sadly when he thinks back to the day he found out his cancer was incurable.
“I went to do a gig in Howick and it was really weird because I wasn’t being open with it at the time,” Henwood remembers. “It was just quite surreal. I had been doing stand-up the whole time since I had been diagnosed and it didn’t feel authentic at all. I was doing jokes about mundane stuff. Not that I do a lot of material about cancer now, but I can mention it and talk about it. I’ve got my love for stand-up back.”
Henwood says he is chuffed to have the opportunity to help the Cancer Society in return for the support they’ve shown him. He enthuses, “The Cancer Society offers free therapists for both the patient and their whānau, accommodation for patients and their families from out of town, and lifts to treatment, so using them was very helpful. They provide a toolbox on how to communicate with children. They know the hills you’re trying to climb.”
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Henwood will further help out with his show The Comedy Treatment, which was performed at Auckland’s Q Theatre on Thursday and screened live on Three, with all profits from ticket sales going to the Cancer Society.
Some of his closest friends joined him on stage, including Paul Ego, Ben Hurley, Josh Thomson and “horrendous gossip” Justine Smith, who was the “best man” at his wedding, as well as Melanie Bracewell and Chris Parker.
“They’ve been on this whole journey with me since day one,” smiles Henwood. “My favourite part of comedy is hanging out with comics before the show, talking rubbish in a green room and joking around. It’s a way to hang out with my mates – this show is ticking a lot of boxes!”
Henwood admits he hasn’t always been transparent about his diagnosis. Photo / Woman's Day
Taskmaster was also a winning experience, says Henwood, because it proved a great distraction from the gruelling chemo he was going through at the time. “I was able to keep working and doing comedy, which makes things feel normal. Comedy’s my zen.”
Taskmaster NZ screens 7.30pm Mondays on TVNZ 2. The Cancer Society’s Daffodil Day is this Friday. Look out for volunteers or visit daffodilday.org.nz to donate.
