Former film producer Harvey Weinstein has been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia - a rare form of cancer that affects the bone marrow and white blood cells, according to reports from the US. The 72-year-old is currently awaiting retrial in New York on charges of rape and sexual assault, which stem from his landmark #MeToo case.
NBC News claims that Weinstein is now receiving treatment at Rikers Island prison complex in the city. Craig Rothfeld, Weinstein's authorised legal healthcare representative in New York, expressed his 'profound dismay at the speculation surrounding his medical condition'.
In a statement issued to PA, he said: "It is both troubling and unacceptable that such private and confidential health matters have become a subject of public discourse. Out of respect for Mr Weinstein’s privacy, we will offer no further comment."
Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) is a rare type of cancer that affects the bone marrow and white blood cells, and is 'usually treatable', according to the NHS website. The news comes just a month after Weinstein underwent emergency heart surgery, with his recovery still ongoing.
The ex-film producer became one of the most prominent figures of the #MeToo movement in 2017 when women began to publicly share accounts of his alleged behaviour. He is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence following a rape and sexual misconduct conviction in February 2023 in Los Angeles, related to an incident in 2013 where he appeared uninvited in a woman’s hotel room during a Los Angeles film festival.
Weinstein is now awaiting a retrial in Manhattan after a 2020 conviction for rape was overturned earlier this year in a majority decision from the Court of Appeal in New York. He has vehemently denied all allegations made against him.
The producer of hit movies – including Pulp Fiction, The English Patient, Good Will Hunting, Gangs Of New York and Shakespeare In Love – has had serious health problems and been admitted to hospital multiple times in recent years.
In July, he was treated in hospital after being diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs and Covid-19. Diabetes, high blood pressure, spinal stenosis and fluid on his heart and lungs were among the other conditions he was to receive treatment for, according to a statement from Juda Engelmayer given to the Associated Press at the time.
