A dad who achieved fame as a bailiff on Channel 5's Can't Pay? We'll Take It Away! has been handed a 'death sentence' unless a donor can be found to rescue him from a terminal blood cancer.

Delroy Anglin, who reached unexpected stardom on the show, has been stricken by an aggressive form of leukaemia which ravages the blood and bones of its sufferers.

The dad-of-six was confined to a hospital bed while undergoing chemotheraphy.

But Delroy, 56, desperately needs a bone marrow transplant so he can beat the debilitating disease.

However, it's proven difficult to find a matching donor because of his minority background, and he has suffered for months since first hearing the news of his deadly illness.

Delroy, from Croydon, told the Croydon Advertiser : "You feel as if someone has pronounced a death sentence.

"Life changed in an instant. When they tell you, you're just hoping someone has made a mistake, but they haven't.

"At the end of the day, unless somebody says differently - I'm terminal."

His condition was first discovered after he requested a check-up because he had been catching more colds than he usually would.

A blood test revealed what was really affecting his usually robust health.

AML affects the stem cells in bone marrow, causing a huge amount of white blood cells to be produced. Less than half of patients can be cured of the rare disease, which causes a dangerous reduction in the number of red blood cells in the body.

"I think I was in denial because I felt so fine," said Delroy, who has been forced to quit his on-screen work.

"Life changed straight away, from diagnosis to entering the hospital was a matter of days.

"Your life just changes instantly. Everything is chaotic and it remains like that for while."

Delroy, now a grandfather, is continuing to battle the disease, which developed with shocking speed, alongside his family.

His children have rallied to support him, and although his 82-year-old mum worries, her home cooking gives him strength.

"You don't want to worry your mum," said Delroy, who is now being treated at the Royal Marsden in Sutton.

"She does worry. She comes from a generation where leukaemia was a death sentence.

"But you get the home cooking from her and build up your strength it's funny how it never changes.

"You don't know how your kids are going to react. Some react well, some become aware of their own mortality a bit, and hate going to hospitals.

"But my family have reacted so well, and I think that's because they've seen my reaction. They've been absolutely amazing."

"It's strange, people don't usually like bailiffs," he said.

"But I have had so much support, from everyone including complete strangers."

The #Match4Delroy appeal is to be led by blood cancer charity the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT) and encourages people to join the donor register.

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Bailiff dad who reached fame on Channel 5's Can't Pay? We'll Take It Away! gets 'death sentence' diagnosis - Mirror.co.uk