James Farnham has opened up about his secret health battle on Instagram.
The youngest son of John Farnham revealed he’s undergone multiple surgeries to reverse his colostomy — a procedure that reroutes the colon to an opening in the abdominal wall.
‘Wow, what a difference a year makes,” he wrote on Instagram, alongside a series of photos of before and after the procedures. “Exactly 12 months ago today, I was going in for my third surgery, hoping to finally reverse my colostomy/ileostomy. It worked.
“I stayed quiet about it all year because, to be honest, I was scared it would go wrong again. It always seemed to. But this time, I healed properly and there were no complications,” he continued. “Since then, I’ve been rebuilding, physically, mentally, emotionally. I started moving again, got back into the gym, cleared my head the best I could. I even got to work with one of my favourite music artists from my teenage years.”
The 36-year-old also shared that he has recently become a dad, his “biggest dream”.
“Two years ago, I couldn’t imagine feeling this way. I was angry, lost, didn’t want to go anywhere or see anyone. Life felt like a dead end,” he wrote. “Today, I can finally say, I love my life. I’m genuinely happy.
“If you’re struggling, just hang in there. Check in on your mates. Be kind to yourself. Life’s weird and unpredictable, but it can surprise you in the best ways. 🤘💙🤘”
In 2024, James shared that he was left with the colostomy bag after surgery for diverticular disease.
“Last year, just as Dad was recovering from his cancer surgeries, I also had major surgery to deal with diverticular disease that had caused perforations in my bowel,” he said at the time. “The surgery saved my life but it has left me with a stoma — a surgically created opening in the abdomen that allows me to poo… into a temporary colostomy bag.”
James said he had been experiencing abdominal pain for months before his partner Tessa basically dragged him to the hospital.
“The reality was now setting in… this was my life now. I go to the toilet attached to my belly. And I have to clean and prepare this bag every single day,” he said. “I’m constantly paranoid someone can either smell it or see it, coz (sic) it farts with literally no warning. Something I never thought I’d be embarrassed about was now something that brought me to tears. It was almost too much for me to comprehend.”
This isn’t the first health battle the Farnham family has faced recently. In August 2023, John announced he had been given the all-clear from his medical team after undergoing mouth surgery to remove oral cancer.
“It’s been a year since my first surgery and to be honest I’ve lost count as to how many other procedures there’s been since then,” he said at the time. “I’m sure someone’s kept track of them all — let’s just say, there’s been a few.”
“But, I’m home now and I’m a very grateful and happy man. I’m sitting here in my living room lapping up the attention from my beautiful wife, Jill, my boys Rob and James and my mini schnauzer, Edmund.”
The ‘You’re The Voice’ singer thanked his fans for all their messages of love and support.
“I don’t know what to say, other than thank you so very much,” he wrote. “It honestly means the world to me. Thank you to everyone who took the time to write and send a message.”
“Today is a special day,” he added. “And I’m going to mark it by having a pizza — because I can! I can’t wait to see what might be next on the menu. Bring on 2024.”
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