Stanley Tucci's cancer treatment left him 'completely' exhausted: 'I want to get back to where I was'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Stanley Tucci has revealed that his life-saving cancer treatment continues to affect his daily life in unexpected ways.

The 'Conclave' actor, 64, was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2017 and underwent radiation and chemotherapy after doctors determined that the tumor at the base of his tongue was too large to remove surgically.

Stanley Tucci says his thyroid 'burned out' due to radiation treatment

Now in remission, Stanley Tucci shared that although his cancer is unlikely to return, he still faces lingering health issues caused by his treatment.

Speaking on 'David Tennant Does A Podcast With...,' Tucci recalled that while filming his BBC series 'Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy' last year, he realized something was wrong.

"I would be so tired in the afternoon, like completely exhausted by one o’clock," Tucci said.

"I had a blood test and I was like, ‘I know something’s f*****g wrong with me. My thyroid was non-functioning,’" he added.

At first, Tucci suspected stress had affected his thyroid as doctors also found his cholesterol levels were significantly high.

However, after getting to the cause, it was revealed his radiation therapy had permanently damaged his thyroid.

"What happened was because I had radiation six, seven years ago, it burned out my thyroid," said Tucci.

Stanley Tucci reveals he now takes Synthroid to manage his condition

Stanley Tucci explained that he now takes the synthetic thyroid hormone Synthroid to help manage his condition and will continue undergoing blood tests.

"I still get tired in the afternoon," he said. "Literally, you can’t think, you can’t move... and once I started taking the pill, it made a huge difference," he said, as per People. 

Despite this, Tucci admitted he wants to regain his previous energy levels. "But I want to get back to where I was," he added.

"It is normal, and especially now I’ve just turned 64. I mean, there are times when I don’t want to do f*****g anything," he continued.

Stanley Tucci reflects on years left to live if he's 'lucky' 

Stanley Tucci first disclosed his cancer diagnosis in October 2021 in his book, 'Taste: My Life Through Food'.

In his latest book, 'What I Ate in One Year', he reflected on mortality, saying he believes he has "only 20 or 30 years left to live if he’s lucky."

When asked if that realization made him sad or motivated, Tucci responded, "A hundred percent sad, a hundred percent motivated."

In 2023, looking back at his cancer battle, Tucci credited his wife, literary agent Felicity Blunt, for pushing him to undergo treatment.

Recalling the high-dose radiation and chemotherapy, he described the experience as "brutal" and "awful."

"I lost 35 pounds. I couldn’t eat. I had a feeding tube for six months, and everything tasted like you-know-what and smelled like you-know-what," Tucci said, as per Independent.

"..It took months and months and months for me to finally be able to eat again and then taste properly again," he added.

Stanley Tucci's wife Felicity  Blunt was persistent on cancer treatment 

Stanley Tucci admitted that fear initially made him hesitant about treatment, but his wife  Felicity Blunt was persistent.

"I was so afraid, but Felicity was very insistent," Tucci said.

"I mean that she had to drag me, kicking and screaming, but now, I wouldn’t be around if I hadn’t done that [treatment]. She was incredible. Still is incredible," he added