The chef Johann Lafer.Image: Getty Images Europe
People News
May 30, 2026, 9:06 p.mMay 30, 2026, 9:06 p.m
TV chef Johann Lafer has made it public that he has cancer. «I’m sick. Seriously ill,” said Lafer in an interview with “Bild”. “I have lymphatic cancer.”
His illness was discovered two and a half years ago. “During a routine examination during a fast, a doctor saw shadows in the groin. I didn’t have any pain. Nothing at all,” recalls the 68-year-old Austrian. The diagnosis followed later.
“At first I hoped that everything would disappear again”
The chef Johann Lafer
«At first I hoped that everything would disappear again. You think: This doesn’t concern me. “It’ll go away again,” said Lafer. In January 2026, his situation worsened drastically, writes “Bild”. «Suddenly everything was swollen. Sweats at night. Sleeping was hardly possible. “That’s when I noticed: Now something was going completely in the wrong direction,” said Lafer.
He has been battling cancer with chemotherapy since the beginning of the year. “Each chemo lasts almost 24 hours. Bottles hang everywhere. “That completely blows you away,” said Lafer; but also conveys positive news: “You can see that the knots are getting smaller. That the treatment is working. And that gives me strength.” Give up? “No! Dying is not an option for me. I want to work, I have to work. I need this. I still have so many plans and so many ideas.” (sda/dpa)