Robert is given devastating news
DOCTORS BREAK THE NEWS THAT HE IS DREADING…
This is the awful moment when Robert’s world is turned upside down, as he is diagnosed with testicular cancer. And in a startling twist, Robert refuses to face up to the fact that he is seriously ill…
“It’s Robert’s worst fear,” explains actor Tristan Gemmill, who plays him. “Everything he’s fought for, like his business and his relationship with Michelle, could be taken away – and the thought of that is terrifying. He’s scared to the point of being frozen with fear, and that’s why he doesn’t want to talk to anyone or do anything about it.”
At the start of the week, Michelle is horrified when Daniel tells her that Robert has deliberately ducked out of a GP appointment. She’s keen for her fella to seek advice having discovered a lump when they were in bed together recently, but Robert fobs her off by insisting he has a groin strain.
However, the chef’s reluctance to see a doctor comes back to haunt him when he winds up in hospital anyway. Robert is knocked down in the street after saving young Joseph from being hit by the Bistro van – and is seriously injured in the process. He’s rushed to A&E, where thankfully, medics inform Michelle that Robert will make a full recovery.
But when Robert is later forced to confess that he has been aware of the lump in his testes for a number of weeks, Michelle seizes the opportunity to have him checked out properly.
“She uses the time in which he is immobilised to get the urologist in,” reveals Tristan. “Even though he feels backed into a corner, Robert reluctantly agrees to an examination. The doctor says there is definitely something that needs to be investigated further, so he recommends that Robert has a scan immediately.”
Robert is soon on the receiving end of the news that he has been dreading, as the consultant tells him that his lump is most likely malignant – and that he will need an operation to have his testicle removed. As he struggles to cope with the bombshell, will Robert agree to the procedure?
“Robert feels that everything is getting out of hand, and that is troubling for him as he likes to be in control,” reckons Tristan. “He basically says to the doctor, ‘Thank you for making me aware of this – I’ll think about it,’ but then he just wants to get out of the door.”
While the enormity of his situation weighs heavily upon him, Robert’s coping mechanism sees him end up at the local casino – where he loses a fortune playing poker. But will he stand to lose an awful lot more if he doesn’t face up to his cancer?
“It’s troubling for Robert as he likes to be in control”