Former Brentford defender Kevin Austin has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, although he has stressed it is not terminal.
The 45-year-old, who made three league appearances for the Bees in 2000 while on loan from Barnsley and there had been some vicious rumours that he was terminally ill.
Those compelled the former Swansea man, who was diagnosed in June last year, to reveal the extent of his diagnosis and, pleasingly, doctors are happy with his treatment.
"I appreciate the nice messages coming from supporters from Swansea - they are fantastic fans - and all the clubs I have played for but I needed to let people know that the rumours being spread just aren't true," Austin told the Swansea official website.
"I have pancreatic cancer, but my doctors have said they are happy with the way things are going and it is under control.
"My family is in a good place too, and I just wanted people to know the truth."
Austin has had spells at Saffron Walden Town, Leyton Orient, Lincoln City, Barnsley, Brentford, Cambridge United, Kettering, Bristol Rovers, Swansea, Chesterfield, Darlington and Boston United.
Keep up to date with the latest news in west London via the free getwestlondon app.
You can even set it to receive push notifications for all the breaking news in your area
Available to download from the App Store or Google Play for Android now.
