A food-fanatic who set a Guinness World Record after gulping down jars of Marmite has revealed he is now battling his hardest challenge yet – after being diagnosed with stage four colon cancer.
Billy Cowley made headlines when he downed nearly two whole jars (420g) of the British breakfast staple in 60 seconds, and has since tried his hand at a similar feat with Nutella.
But now he’s battling an entirely new obstacle, having had part of his colon removed while he undergoes gruelling chemotherapy, and an upcoming hip replacement.
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Doctors even found a tumour the size of a snooker ball in his colon, which has been removed.
The 47-year-old says this new challenge is more daunting than anything he’s faced in the past – but he won’t let it get the better of him.
“I’m not sitting here waiting to die,” said Billy.
“I’m fighting this thing from all angles.”
It’s not in his nature to give up, according to his wife, Izelle, with whom he shares son James, five with.
She said: “Billy has always been the eternal optimist, I am the realist.
“We’re taking it worse than him.
“There’s a part of Billy’s life that’s been taken away, so it feels to me like some of my happiness has been stolen.”
Since being diagnosed with cancer in April, Billy has already lost 22lbs (10kg), and his right leg is causing him so much pain that he can no longer put weight on it, using crutches to get around.
But his fighting spirit is clear from his previous feats, most notably his record-smashing Marmite feat back in 2020.
Two years later, he attempted to break a similar record with Nutella, but couldn’t get past 185g of the chocolate spread, reports Need To Know.
His health battle began last year while on holiday with his family, and he slipped and fell on some wet tiles.
The pain in his right hip was so bad that he was rushed by ambulance to a local doctor.
But X-rays taken when he was back home found no sign of fractures, while his pain continued to worsen.
Soon, an MRI found the cause – his right hip was riddled with cancer, which had spread to his colon.
Billy, who lives in Pretoria, South Africa, said: “One of the medical team members treating it said it’s very rare since colon cancer usually affects the liver, kidneys and lungs.”
While he worried that his previous food challenge exploits had put him at risk, Billy says it isn’t the case.
He added: “I asked if the amounts of Marmite and Nutella I consumed at the time could have played a role, and I was told not at all.”
While his prognosis is serious, Billy is remaining hopeful.
In April, doctors cut out a cancerous growth the size of a snooker ball in his colon, and he is hopeful that his upcoming hip replacement will allow him to finally be free of the pain in his leg.
He said: “When you’re a young man, you get into a bar fight, or you get injured on the rugby field, but you stand up and go on – you don’t cry.
“Now I cry every day from the pain.”
After his cancerous hip is removed in July, Billy will begin chemotherapy to zap the cancer in his lymph nodes and the soft tissue around his leg muscles.
A long road still lies ahead.
He added: “But my faith carries me. I know I will get through this.”
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