Ginger Wildheart on his cancer diagnosis: 'It makes you realise how loved you are'

Ginger Wildheart says the outpouring of support from fans following his cancer diagnosis has made him realise how loved he is.

In March, Ginger told fans he’s been diagnosed rare and aggressive type of cancer called Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL) and he won’t be undergoing treatment as he wants “to die with dignity”.

Speaking to Planet Rock backstage at Download Festival following The Wildhearts’ early Saturday morning slot on The Opus Stage, which featured two onstage appearances from his beloved dog Maggie, Ginger said he's in a good frame of mind.

“Hey, I tell you what. You do realise how loved you are when something (like this happens). Honestly, I wish an early death on all of my friends because it feels f---ing great! Everyone tells you how much you mean to them,” Ginger enthused.

“You could die really old, which I think must be a real drag because the end must be horrible. But you get a life like mine and then you get that magical mystery (time).

“But I think it’s a perfect story and it seems to be rounding itself perfectly because we’re getting all this attention and hopefully I can get to talk about dealing with stuff like this. Because it’s all about dealing with a certain state of mind.”

Ginger also told us that former Download Festival booker Andy Copping “came in the dressing room and started crying” before The Wildhearts’ set.

“It was great. I didn’t know what to expect,” Ginger said of The Wildhearts’ performance. “The people at Download, they created a slot for us that didn’t exist. They shoved us on at the start because they couldn’t put us anywhere else cos it’s all been booked up for eight or nine months.

“It’s Andy bloody Copping. He’s an angel – he hasn’t got any wings but he’s an angel.”

Saturday at Download Festival 2026 in photos:

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