Stanley Tucci says he is 'incredibly lucky' to be alive after doctors found a cancerous tumour

Stanley Tucci has revealed he is "lucky" to still be alive after doctors found a 3cm cancerous tumour on his tongue.

The Devil Wears Prada actor was diagnosed with cancer in 2017 after a tumour was discovered at the base of his tongue, which was missed during an initial scan.

Speaking to People about his shock diagnosis, Tucci, 61, said it was "miracle" his cancer didn't grow and described himself as "incredibly lucky".

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"I had a scan, but the scan missed it. And of course, when you think that there might be something wrong, you're also afraid that there is something wrong," Tucci told the publication.

"They couldn't do surgery because the tumour was so big. It's a miracle that it didn't metastasize. It had been in me so long."

Tucci, who lost his first wife Kate Spath to breast cancer in 2009, underwent seven sessions of chemotherapy and was dependant on a feeding tube during his treatment.

The chemo and radiation ravaged his sense of taste and smell, but after treatment ended in 2018, he was able to regain them.

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He even told Today in January that his taste and smell are now "heightened" after the setback.

"I can taste and eat almost everything now. In fact, my sense of taste and smell are almost heightened and more than they were before, oddly enough," he said.

The Hunger Games star credited his wife Felicity — who is the older sister of actress Emily Blunt — for being helping him during the illness.

"Felicity's undying attention, affection and encouragement got me through it," he shared.

Tucci is father to twins Nicolo and Isabel, 22, and daughter Camilla, 20, with his late first wife, and he and Felicity are parents to Matteo, seven, and three-year-old Emilia.