Ronnie Wood: Rolling Stones guitarist given all-clear after second cancer diagnosis

Ronnie Wood is a guitarist for The Rolling Stones

Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood says he has been given the all-clear after being diagnosed with cancer during the lockdown.

The 73-year-old had small-cell cancer, which typically affects the lungs.

It follows a successful fight against his first lung cancer diagnosis in 2017.

Wood told The Sun newspaper: "I've had cancer two different ways now" and credited a "higher power" for the positive outcome.

"All I can do is stay positive in my attitude, be strong and fight it, and the rest is up to my higher power," he said. "I came through with the all-clear."

The veteran rocker's spiritual outlook reflects a concept of control and acceptance encouraged by Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.

Wood, a founding member of The Faces and the Jeff Beck Group, became known for his heavy partying and substance abuse, particularly after joining The Rolling Stones in 1975.

But he said the lessons learnt during numerous stints in rehab equipped him to fight the disease.

Wood performing on stage with Mick Jagger as part of The Rolling Stones in 1982

"I'm going through a lot of problems now, but throughout my recovery, you have to let it go. And when you hand the outcome over to your higher power, that is a magic thing," the guitarist told the paper.

"That brings you back to the [AA and NA's] Serenity Prayer: 'Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change'. That's incredible. What will be will be, it's nothing to do with me."

'A second chance'

The musician, a keen artist, said working on paintings of his wife Sally Humphries and looking after their four-year-old twin daughters Gracie Jane and Alice Rose, also helped to keep him strong.

Discussing his 2017 lung cancer diagnosis, Wood previously told the Daily Mail that he had wondered whether it was "time to say goodbye" to his family.

The rocker underwent a week of tests and said if the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes "it would have been all over for me".

Ronnie Wood with his wife Sally Humphries

Instead, he needed a five-hour operation to have part of his lung removed before first confirming he was cancer-free in 2018.

The small-cell cancer Wood faced in lockdown commonly forms in the lung and can quickly spread to other areas.

But after being given the all-clear once again, he said he feels he's been given "a second chance" and is now focused on returning to the stage with The Rolling Stones.

He said: "I am grateful every day for the continuance of this positive attitude. Everybody gets to fight in their own way, live their lives and survive."