Val Kilmer Denies Throat Cancer Rumors

Val Kilmer has denied he has cancer after Michael Douglas claimed his former co-star is ill.

“I love Michael Douglas but he is misinformed,” Val Kilmer wrote in a Facebook post.

Las week, Michael Douglas claimed that Val Kilmer was “dealing with” throat cancer – the same ailment that Douglas was diagnosed with in 2010.

Val Kilmer, however, said he was “rehabbing steadily” from “a swollen tongue” and had “no cancer whatsoever”.

“The last time I spoke to [Michael Douglas] was almost two years ago, when I asked him for a referral for a specialist to get a diagnosis for a lump in my throat,” he wrote.

“I ended up using a team at UCLA [University of California, Los Angeles] and have no cancer whatsoever,” the 56-year-old continued.

Following Michael Douglas’s comments, it was reported that Val Kilmer had been reluctant to seek medical treatment due to his Christian Science faith.

Many Christian Scientists believe that diseases can be healing with prayer, although the church does not forbid adherents seeking medical aid.

In his post, Val Kilmer said “concerns about [his] health” had been raised “by publications that have no respect for the truth”.

The actor added: “Some fans have mistakenly thought my silence about my personal issues meant that somehow I wasn’t being responsible to my health, because of my reliance on prayer and Love.

“Nothing could be further from the truth… Being healthy and having the respect of my peers and love from my family, friends, peers and fans is a DAILY source of inspiration, for which I am so grateful.”

Val Kilmer described Michael Douglas as “a loving and devoted friend”, adding: “I’m sure he meant no harm.”

He said he would be making personal appearances later this month at screenings of Cinema Twain, a film of his one-man play about author Mark Twain.

Val Kilmer’s post follows a number of Facebook messages last year in which he assured fans he had “no tumor or infection of any kind”.