Ian McKellen Prostate Cancer: 'The Hobbit' Actor Confirms 7 Year Disease, 'Not Life-Threatening'

Ian McKellen tells the world and "Lord of the Ring" fans that he has prostate cancer. In an interview with U.K.'s Daily Mirror he admitted to having cancer for almost 7 years now.

McKellen, 73, it up and about promoting his new film the Hobbit trilogy, beginning with "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" said, "I've had prostate cancer for six or seven years," he added, "When you have got it you monitor it and you have to be careful it doesn't spread. But if it is contained in the prostate it's no big deal."

The tall actor plays the Wizard in the movie has patiently been dealing with his cancer without treatment, "Many, many men die from it but it's one of the cancers that is totally treatable so I have 'waitful watching.' I am examined regularly and it's just contained, it's not spreading. I've not had any treatment." The actor continued, "You do gulp when you hear the news," says the actor, who gets frequent check-ups on his condition and was diagnosed after he began making frequent trips to the bathroom overnight. "It's like when you go for an HIV test, you go 'arghhh is this the end of the road?' They come and say you have cancer of the prostate and then they say you can have it zapped, you can have it snipped but you are not a candidate for that. You are waitful watching."

Realizing the threat some face with prostate cancer McKellen finds himself fortunate, "I have heard of people dying from prostate cancer, and they are the unlucky ones, the people who didn't know they had got it and it went on the rampage. But at my age if it is diagnosed it's not life-threatening."