A painter and decorator was diagnosed with prostate cancer after his clients - who were doctors - noticed how often he was using their loo.

Jeff Titmarsh, 67, was going for a wee 12 times a day - but put it down to old age.

But while he was painting the home of two retired doctors they noticed his frequent visits and recommended he seek help.

The otherwise fit and healthy grandfather-of-four was referred for tests which revealed he had prostate cancer.

Jeff underwent chemotherapy and hormone pills after learning it was stage four and had spread to his bones.

And despite initially being informed the cancer was incurable, he reacted well to the treatments and is now in remission.

Jeff is now fundraising for charity and raising awareness of the symptoms of the cancer which affects one in eight men during their lifetime.

The divorced dad-of-two, said: "I had been peeing for England.

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"I was doing some external paintwork for these doctors and I had to come down the scaffolding whenever I needed the loo, so they always saw me.

"They asked about it and recommended I go to my GP."

Speaking of being diagnosed, he said: "I was in a bit of shock - you don't really take it all in.

"I caught it quite late, but not too late thankfully. If the chemo hadn't worked, it would have been curtains for me.

"Going to the loo more was the only symptom I had but I ignored it for a year.

"The doctors I was working for gave me the boot up the backside to get it checked out - my message is get checked out as soon as possible."

Jeff noticed from around 2023 that he was using the loo more - "easily once an hour" - and sometimes even failed to get there on time.

It wasn't until he was painting the house in May 2024 he did something about it.

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He said: "The clients asked and I described my symptoms - and they recommended I get checked."

After a blood test, he was sent for an MRI scan.

He got a call from his doctors while on holiday in Devon, with daughter Samantha, 50 and grandson Croyde, 15, saying the scan had shown something and a biopsy was needed.

By August 2024, the results of the biopsy had revealed cancer - and further investigations confirmed it was stage four prostate cancer which had spread to a portion of his bone at the bottom of his rib too.

Jeff said: "I was okay telling my family, but then I was in the gym with my friend, and I saw him and just burst into tears.

"To was two blokes just crying and hugging in the gym. Everyone else must have wondered what was going on."

He began chemotherapy in November 2024, alongside medication to block the production of testosterone, which the oncologist believed was "feeding the cancer".

He was grateful to learn that his cancer responded well to the treatments and by December he was in remission.

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Now he needs two-monthly blood tests and daily hormone medications.

Now feeling much better, Jeff is training for Sir Chris Hoy's Tour de 4 charity cycling event in September in aid of Prostate Cancer Research.

He said: "The most common symptom of this is going to the loo more.

"Aside from that, you would never have known I was ill at all - I didn't lose any weight.

"Just get that checked out as soon as possible. Forget the British stiff upper lip.

"And my message is just be positive, and have a good circle of family and friends around you."

See the fundraiser here.