He gave an update to Sky News

Speaking to Sky News, Holder said doctors were still 'keeping a check' on him after he was told he had six months to live.

The former frontman, famous for the line 'it's Christmas' in the band's 1973 festive hit Merry Xmas Everybody, told Sky News he had 'lasted the course'.

The 78-year-old told Kay Burley: "I did have oesophageal cancer and that was five years ago and, at the moment, they're still keeping a check on me.

"I'm on a level playing field at the moment after at the time being diagnosed with six months to live.

"So I've lasted the course, as it were."

Holder and his wife Suzan were speaking to the news outlet about hospice care and The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester, where Holder was treated.

His cancer diagnosis came in 2018 when doctors gave him just six months to live. However, he responded well to experimental chemotherapy treatment at the Christie.

His battle with the illness was not made public until 2023 when his wife shared his story in her monthly column in Cheshire Live magazine.

His wife explained how their Christmas Day begins with a unique 'alarm clock'.

She said: "When he shouts 'It's Christmas!' in your ear to wake you up on Christmas morning, it's very loud.

"It is a very unusual alarm clock, but it works."

Holder became famous for his unique and powerful voice. He co-wrote most of Slade's material throughout the 70s and 80s as they enjoyed several hit songs during his time with the band.

He left in 1992 and went on to enjoy a successful career in acting. Most notably he starred in the ITV comedy-drama series The Grimleys.

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