Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell recently opened up about the return of his cancer and how his diagnosis has shaped the way he approaches life.
Campbell was first diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2013. He talked about his mindset toward the illness, the setback of a failed donor transplant, and his determination to keep living fully despite the diagnosis returning.
“Unfortunately, I have met people in my life who, when they’ve gotten a cancer diagnosis, they’ve only focused on that,” Campbell said.
“And they think, ‘Oh, I can’t do anything. I need to stay in bed. I can’t eat this. I can’t do that. I can’t go there.’ I’ve never felt that way.”
“I’ve always felt like I’m gonna continue to live my life as much as possible. In fact, even more so. After getting a cancer diagnosis, it amplifies that desire to tick all the boxes, to do the things you wanna do. But I also consider myself very fortunate because I caught my cancer early. So, it’s always been more about managing my cancer.”
Campbell then described a frightening turning point in his treatment and the drastic measure he had to take to survive.
“There’s only been one time that I felt it was gonna kill me. In the winter of 2023, I got really scared about what was happening and the pace at which it was happening,” he said.
“And I realized at that point that I had to do a donor transplant. It was my only hope to survive. And that’s what I did. I did that in January of ’25. I did a donor transplant.”
He then revealed that the transplant, unfortunately, did not resolve his condition.
“Unfortunately, it didn’t stick. So the cancer has returned. And I’m continuing treatments to manage it,” Campbell said.
“I’ll probably have to do another transplant within a few years with another donor to try and see if maybe that would cure me. But in the meantime, I’m certainly not slowing down. I’m doing as much with my life as possible, not just with Def Leppard and with [Vivian’s long-running side project] Last In Line.”
Despite the ongoing health battle, Campbell noted that he has also pursued a lifelong passion outside of music.
“I’m also rally driving, ’cause I always wanted to do that. So I’ve been doing that more and more, ’cause I love cars and I love driving,” he said.
“And as a child, I thought, ‘If I don’t play guitar for a living, I’m gonna be a race car driver.’ So, I’m very, very, very fortunate and blessed that I get to do both.”
He then concluded message of encouragement for others facing similar diagnoses.
“So, yeah, life is for the living. And I encourage everyone to look after their own health,” Campbell said. “And if you are unfortunate enough to get a cancer diagnosis to overcome the fear. Fear is inevitable when you’re first told those words. But once you get over that, you gotta realize just how to manage it and how to deal with it as best as possible, and just don’t give in.”
