MICHAEL DOUGLAS SAYS HE has beaten late-stage throat cancer and is confident of making a full recovery.

The actor and producer told NBC’s Today Show that “the odds are, with the tumour gone and what I know about this particular type of cancer, I’ve got it beat”.

Douglas lost over two stone during his cancer treatment, and says he has to get monthly check-ups to monitor his health.

CNN reports that Douglas said in an interview to air in full in the US on Sunday that the experience had “put a timeline” on his life:

I’m 66 now. You know, I’m fortunate I’ve got a mother who’s 88 — she’ll kill me — she may be 87. My father’s 94. So, you know, I feel good about those genes. But it’s definitely a third act. And so you’re a little more conscious of your time in how you choose to spend it.

He described tabloid coverage of his illness as “macabre” and said he thought it had unsettled his father and his friends, although he didn’t follow it himself.

Douglas told People magazine that although he didn’t feel very emotional about beating the tumour, his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones “had a good cry when she heard”. He said he thought it might take another few months for the news to sink in.

In August, shortly after finding out he had cancer, Douglas appeared on David Letterman’s show in the US and spoke about his illness. He said a sore throat had been bothering him for “some while” before it was diagnosed as stage four cancer: