NEW YORK — Starz network said “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” star Andy Whitfield is leaving the show to battle a recurrence of cancer.
Production of the “Spartacus” series’ second season was postponed this spring when the British-born Whitfield, 36, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The cable-television network said Whitfield was responding well to treatment, but the cancer has returned.
Whitfield played the gladiator hero in the show’s breakout first season. The network said co-stars Lucy Lawless and John Hannah would take center stage for a six-episode prequel leading up to Spartacus’ arrival. It will air beginning in January. In a statement, Whitfield expressed regret at leaving the series while describing his cancer battle “as another extraordinary journey.” The Associated Press
