'Thank God I'm alive': Big Fat Gypsy Wedding star Paddy Doherty, 60, comes round from a six-hour operation to treat his prostate cancer Paddy Doherty underwent the five-and-a-half hour operation in Manchester Received hundreds of messages from fans saying he had given them confidence He said: 'Speaking about my own embarrassment and pain is a small price to pay' He got checked after being in excruciating pain and passing blood urinatingBy Isabella Nikolic For Mailonline Published: 17:42 GMT, 15 March 2019 | Updated: 17:56 GMT, 15 March 2019 Viewcomments My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding star, Paddy Doherty, 60, underwent a five-and-a-half-hour operation to treat his prostate cancer and has opened up about the embarrassment he felt surrounding it. Mr Doherty, who is famed for his bareknuckle fighting, told the Scottish Sun: 'If I save one life, then speaking about my own embarrassment and pain is a small price to pay'. He said he received hundreds of messages from fellow travellers and other members of the public saying they were going to follow in his footsteps after he gave them the confidence to get checked. My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding star, Paddy Doherty, 60, has undergone a five-and-a-half-hour operation to treat his prostate cancer He said that going public with his embarrassment and pain surrounding prostate cancer is worth it if it helps to save a life Mr Doherty's wife, Rose Anne, suggested he should get checked for prostate cancer after he got excruciating pains when he urinated and started passing blood. Until his first operation, at Manchester Royal Infirmary, he had kept his battle quiet from the public for seven months. He said: 'I wasn’t keen because people like me don’t talk about this sort of stuff. But it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made'. Even though he is still in 'horrendous' pain, Mr Doherty has said he has been told by doctors that he will be completely fine once he recovers from the two delicate operations he had. After his appearance on the hit TV show, My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, Mr Doherty won over a swathe of fans who have inundated him with messages of support since he went public with his condition. He said: 'As the hours went by I got hundreds of messages from other travellers and members of the public saying they were now going to get checked out'. Speaking from his hospital bed, he said: 'When I came round on the operating table I thought, "Thank God I'm alive"'. Mr Doherty, who previously told the Sun he had considered taking his own life because of the pain from prostate cancer, is hoping to be discharged from hospital today. Read more: Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility