Actor, 28, Shares Heartbreaking Update: “I Am Now Entering the Last Stages of My Life”

Finnian Garbutt is being candid with fans about a devastating turn in his health — and the one thing he’s focused on most as he faces what he calls the “last stages” of his life.

The Northern Irish actor, known for playing police constable Ryan Power on the BBC crime drama Hope Street, revealed in a recent social media post that his cancer has progressed rapidly after a painful month.

“Scans have shown that the cancer has progressed rapidly in my body and I am now entering the last stages of my life,” Garbutt wrote, explaining that the past several weeks have been especially difficult.

Just days after sharing the update, Garbutt posted again — this time with an emotional appeal centered on his wife, Louise Agnew, and their 1½-year-old daughter, Saoirse.

He began by thanking those who have reached out, saying he’s been overwhelmed by the global wave of support and encouragement.

“Thank you everyone for the outpouring of support these last few days. I cannot believe how many people across the world have reached out and offered beautiful encouragement in this really difficult time,” he wrote.

But he also made one thing clear: he wasn’t posting to ask for sympathy.

“I am not posting this for sympathy and do not want anyone to donate if they cannot afford to,” Garbutt continued. “All I want is my wife and little baby to have the life they deserve and I wanted to be the one that provided that, which now is unfortunately no longer possible.”

Garbutt has said he was first diagnosed with cancer four years ago. Two years ago, he shared that his melanoma was deemed terminal after it spread to his liver and lungs.

Despite the heartbreaking news he’s now sharing, Garbutt’s message also carried a strong sense of gratitude — especially for what he’s been able to accomplish while living with his diagnosis.

“Since being diagnosed 4 years ago I have achieved so many of my life goals,” he wrote, listing major milestones: “30 episodes in a TV show, being the lead in a movie (that should be out soon), buying my own house, marrying my best friend and becoming a father to the most incredible baby girl who never fails to make me smile.”

That upcoming film, Housejackers, is one of the projects Garbutt mentioned with pride, adding another accomplishment to a career that had been building quickly.

For fans, the news is both heartbreaking and deeply human — a young actor confronting the reality of time, while still celebrating what he’s been able to do with the years he’s had.

And in the midst of it all, his focus is clear: his family.

Garbutt’s posts have sparked an outpouring of messages online from supporters who have followed his work — and who now want to make sure his wife and daughter feel that support in the days ahead.