However, he arguably didn’t help himself in trying to distance himself from this sex-obsessed image, as back in 2013, he told The Guardian that his throat cancer was caused from oral sex. Specifically, ‘cunnilingus’.
While the New Jersey native then denied ever having made the claim, the news outlet doubled down with an audio recording and written transcript of what Douglas had said.
When asked if he had considered to have ‘overloaded’ his system with ‘drugs, smoking [and] drink,’ Douglas replied: “No. No. Ah, without getting too specific, this particular cancer is caused by something called HPV [human papillomavirus], which actually comes about from cunnilingus.”
According to The Cleveland Clinic, HPV is the most common viral sexually transmitted infections in the US which can cause cells in the cervix to change and advance to cervical cancer.
It is also believed the virus can have a similar effect on the cells of the throat.
The father-of-three added to the outlet: “I did worry if the stress caused by my son’s incarceration didn’t help trigger it. But yeah, it’s a sexually transmitted disease that causes cancer. And if you have it, cunnilingus is also the best cure for it.”
The comments came as Douglas revealed he had a somewhat unusual reaction to his diagnosis back in August 2010.
The celeb told the news outlet he suffered from oral discomfort for months and made various trips to medical appointments until a friend’s doctor in Montreal examined his mouth and found the glaring problem.
“I will always remember the look on his face,” Douglas said. “He said: ‘We need a biopsy.’ There was a walnut-size tumor at the base of my tongue that no other doctor had seen.”
From there, he was diagnosed with stage four cancer, which is often considered terminal.
During an intense eight-week course of chemotherapy and radiation, he declined to use a feeding tube, despite treatment burning his palate, resulting in a staggering 20kg (45 pounds) weight loss as he battled a liquids-only diet.
“That’s a rough ride. That can really take it out of you,” he said. “Plus the amount of chemo I was getting, it zaps all the good stuff too. It made me very weak.”
Fortunately, Douglas was given the all-clear two years later and has been in remission ever since.
Meanwhile, a consultant head and neck surgeon in London, Mahesh Kumar, said HPV type 16 can be a ‘causative agent in oropharyngeal cancer’ but was reportedly skeptical if this was sole cause to Douglas’ cancer.
He also added engaging in more cunnilingus won’t provide a cure either, saying: “Maybe he thinks that more exposure to the virus will boost his immune system. But medically, that just doesn’t make sense.”
Still, Douglas isn’t the only one to have had the strange diagnosis, as Frank Lane from the UK similarly said he was told his throat cancer was caused by HPV.
Like Douglas’ case, the 60-year-old said medics could see the ‘boiled egg’-sized tumor in his mouth and told him they thought it was caused through oral sex.