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Theatre actor Jarryd Nurden has made a return to the West End stage just six months after undergoing surgery to remove half of his lung due to a rare cancer.
Originally from KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, Mr Nurden harboured a lifelong ambition to perform in the West End, having sung in choirs since childhood.
But two years after selling his possessions to secure a visa and relocating, he was diagnosed with primary malignant neuroendocrine neoplasm of the lung (atypical carcinoid), a rare lung cancer that left him hospitalised for months.
The diagnosis necessitated the removal of the entire lower lobe of his left lung, plunging him into a lengthy recovery period fraught with uncertainty over his performing future.
Despite the physical and emotional toll, Mr Nurden fought his way back to the stage, proving his dream of a world-class career was far from shattered.
“When I had that phone call, that’s when my world crashed,” the 34-year-old said.
“Up until that point, I had made plans on how to survive, but because this was now taking me out of the picture for God knows how long, I was like: ‘I’m properly screwed’.”
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Nurden had always dreamed of a career on the stage (Supplied)
Mr Nurden began his theatre career back in 2013, in a South African production of West Side Story, and he took his career international with a tour of Cats in 2014.
He secured a UK visa in August 2021 and moved to London in October, spending about £11,000 on fees, flights and moving costs.
In spring 2022, he was to begin his first West End role, in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella, but it closed early.
That winter, he came down with a “very bad flu”, which turned out to be a rare form of lung cancer.
“I knew about some small scarring on my lung from a medical I’d done five years prior,” he explained.
“Back then, we just ruled it up to scar tissue from a drowning accident when I was really young.”
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Nurden moved to London in 2021 to pursue his West End dream (Supplied)
He believed he was fine, and continued performing in a Christmas pantomime while doctors investigated further, battling through his symptoms to put on the show.
In January 2023, he took a phone call from his agent in which he found out he had a role in We Will Rock You – his first major West End role.
The same day, he had an appointment at Guy’s hospital, which sent his world crashing down – doctors had discovered a tumour.
They confirmed it had doubled in size from two centimetres to four centimetres since it was last examined.
They needed to perform keyhole surgery to remove the tumour and determine whether it was benign or cancerous.
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Keep on rocking: Nurden’s first major West End role was in ‘We Will Rock You’ (Supplied)
“Obviously, being a performer, our bodies are everything. Time is money. We know how hard it is to stay at a level of excellence as a sportsman, dancer, performer, it just requires a lot,” Mr Nurden said.
“So I said to (the doctor): ‘Please, can I do this show? I’ve literally just signed the contract this morning. I’ve worked my whole life towards this moment, it got cancelled last year, and I just can’t get it to be cancelled again.’”
After months of investigation, including the keyhole surgery in August 2023, it was confirmed that the tumour was cancerous.
Mr Nurden was diagnosed with primary malignant neuroendocrine neoplasm of the lung (atypical carcinoid).
“That phone call I’ve always described as being underwater,” he said.
“Everything just slows down, and you’re like: ‘Oh, I have cancer’. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I work really hard. How’s this happening?”
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Nurden and his friends did their best to keep his spirits up during his treatment (Supplied)
Mr Nurden was told that some cancerous cells remained, even though the main tumour had been removed, and was offered either chemotherapy and radiotherapy or a major operation – a lobectomy – to remove the lower lobe of his lung.
He opted for the surgery, and in October 2023 he had a completion lobectomy – the removal of the entire lower lobe of his lung – to get rid of remaining cancer cells.
“Recovery was really hard, because the first open surgery, the major one, went really wrong, with lots of complications,” he said.
“I think it was touch and go at one point. And then I just wasn’t getting better. It was going on for four months in the hospital. I had to have a second open surgery to clear infections. It was hell.
“No words will be able to describe all the low emotions I felt in those four months. Immense fear that I was never going to dance again or sing again. Lots of negatives, lots of pain. I’ve never experienced so much pain in all my life.”
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The West End actor had to spend months in the hospital, having to undergo multiple operations (Supplied)
Thanks to the support of Actors’ Trust, Mr Nurden was able to access financial support to keep afloat while he was out of work.
Months of rest followed, with Mr Nurden still needing a chest drain due to a fistula in his chest, and he was forced to turn down an offer to perform in the international tour of the musical Chicago.
July 2024 brought another operation, this time to put stents into the fistula.
However, when Chicago reached out again to offer him a role in their September international run in China, he assured them he would be ready – despite not having a clue if he would be fit enough to work.
“I’m going to just try my best. That’s all I can do,” he said.
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Nurden has battled his way back to the stage (Supplied)
Just three months after his last surgery, he made it back on stage, covering the role of Mary Sunshine in the musical.
“I was really proud of myself for having so much courage, but there was no choice as well,” he said.
“It was do or die. These are the cards that you’ve been dealt, and you play them and you’re going to play them to the best of your ability.
“I mean, the challenge was intense. It was a one-day rehearsal in London. It was flying to the other side of the world, landing, two-hour rehearsal, back on stage. In the tightest clothing as well!
“I wasn’t fully feeling like I was sexy, even though it’s the sexiest show on earth.”
Taking a bow after his first performance was incredibly emotional, Mr Nurden added.
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Nurden played Mary Sunshine in Chicago (Supplied)
“That bow I took, it was an immense gratitude. It was just so much gratitude for being back on stage, being in a show that I love so much, being with such a supportive company.”
“I was really proud,” he continued.
“I think when you go through something very life-changing, you stop sweating the small stuff. You often hear people talk about how their lives have changed when they’ve had major traumas happen to them, and you don’t often relate, but I can very much relate now.
“I think it’s just that you value life a little bit more than before, and you value your talent a little bit more, you value the fact that you’ve survived something so crazy that you let go a lot more in your performance, or judge yourself a little less…
“You do have that second chance at life, essentially.”
