The father of world champion diver Tom Daley will miss his son’s appearance at the Commonwealth Games because he is undergoing chemotherapy for a brain tumour.
Doctors have told Rob Daley, 40, that he cannot fly to India because the treatment leaves him vulnerable to infection.
The father-of-three will now watch Tom’s progress on television and says he is ”gutted” to be missing out on one of his son’s biggest competitions.
Rob was diagnosed with the condition four years ago and thought he had beaten the cancer when he had a huge tumour removed.
But he has now revealed that a routine scan in February showed it was starting to spread again and he is undergoing his second bout of chemotherapy.
Rob said: ”I am gutted to miss out. I have known the competition was coming up for the past four years and it is disappointing not to go.
”This is the biggest competition of his that I have missed. I feel fine, I feel that I could cycle to India really but I have to put myself first. Tom understands.
”I would be 11 hours from home and it would not be clever to get something such as dengue fever. There might also be an issue with medical insurance.
”The television coverage is so good – at least I can see it here. I have just got to keep my chin up and keep smiling. People need to keep texting me jokes.”
Rob, who gave up his electrician’s business in 2006 so he could accompany Tom to all his events, said pills he is taking will weaken his immune system and leave him at risk to foreign bugs.
He also has to be careful what he eats as some foods can interfere with the chemicals which are used to kill cancer cells.
Rob will remain at home in Plymouth, Devon, for the entire event as his 10-day course of chemotherapy comes to an end just as his son dives in India.
Instead, Tom will be joined in Delhi by his mother, Debbie, 36, and his two younger brothers, William 11, and Ben, eight.
Rob will have another brain scan after the latest cycle of treatment and a consultant will then decide the next step.
In July 2009, Tom Daley became the first British world diving champion in Rome when he was just 15-years-old.
The result was met with delight from Rob who sneaked past security to greet the second-youngest world diving champion in history.
In front of scores of journalists, Rob took a microphone and said: ”I’m his father. Tom, come and give me a cuddle.”
Tom also represented Great Britain at the 2008 Olympics, where he was Britain’s youngest competitor, the youngest competitor of any nationality outside the sport of swimming, and the youngest to participate in a final.