Israeli chef and TV personality Israel Aharoni has revealed that he spent the past two years battling prostate cancer in secret, even while appearing on "MasterChef" and filming food shows. In a special interview published as he approached his 75th birthday, he said the cancer was found by chance about a month before October 7, when he felt completely healthy. His surgeon later described it as the largest prostate tumor he had seen.
Aharoni underwent a full prostate removal operation, followed by radiation and two years of intensive hormone therapy. He said the treatment was the hardest part, because it drained his energy, made him unusually tired and led him to nap during the day. He also gained 13 kilograms. Even so, he kept working on an entire season of "MasterChef" without most people on set realizing what he was going through.
When he told his children, he did so bluntly. He said, "You have another five minutes to erase that expression from your face. I do not want to see it again in this context." His son Oren and daughter Tamara said he forbade them from being overly emotional and told them to keep living. Aharoni said he did not want sad faces around the table.
The hormone treatment ended two weeks ago, and Aharoni says, "I have been cured," though he expects recovery to take time and hopes to feel about 80% back to normal within a year. He also reflected on his career, saying his biggest achievement was making the chef profession legitimate and desirable in Israel. He now runs a meat chain and the fast-food brand Aharoni's Fried Chicken with his children, Oren and Tamara, and says he has become a devoted grandfather to Yuli. He also said he would refuse a state torch-lighting honor because it has become political.
