Michael Flatley was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, and he now believes his lavish home is to blame (Picture: REX/Shutterstock) Riverdance icon Michael Flatley is convinced his £25 million castle gave him cancer. The American dancing star, 65, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of the disease 18 months ago, but is no longer in treatment after successful surgery and is now in remission. However, he has now claimed that his lavish home, an 18th-century Irish castle, Castlehyde, in Fermoy, County Cork, is responsible for him contracting cancer due to its unsafe levels of toxic chemicals. ‘I was one of the fittest people in Ireland. But when we moved back in I never felt right, and all of a sudden I got cancer,’ he said. ‘All of a sudden I’ve developed asthma too,’ he told the Daily Mail, before suggesting that he and his wife Niamh O’Brien and their teenage son Michael Jr ‘must have been breathing in toxins’. ‘We were told to leave immediately and we’ve been living in hotels ever since.’ The Riverdance star moved into the lavish 18th-century period building 20 years ago (Picture: REX/Shutterstock) The dancer claims there are toxins in the castle since a renovation in 2016, and he is now suing a renovation contractor and three insurance underwriters for alleged negligence (Picture: REX/Shutterstock) Lord of the Dance performer Michael is currently in a legal battle over his castle in Cork, Ireland, claiming there are unsafe levels of toxic chemical residue at the Castlehyde manor, including on the wall surfaces in the pool, spa and cinema areas. He and his family moved out of the historic estate in 2016 after a fire and Michael has said he believes his health deteriorated after he moved back into the lavish property. He is now suing a renovation contractor and three insurance underwriters over alleged negligence, endangerment, misrepresentation and breach of duty and contract. All of the allegations are denied and the case is ongoing. Michael paid £2.5 million for the mansion in 1999, and has since spent roughly £25,000,000 in renovations, according to the Daily Mail. He now claims that he will have to pay a further £25.6 million to have the ‘toxic residue’ removed from the property. Michael has been supported by his wife Niamh O’Brien throughout his gruelling cancer treatment (Picture: David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock) Michael is one of the world’s most prominent dancers (Picture: Brent N. Clarke/WireImage) Amid the ongoing legal fight, Michael is gearing up to tour the UK again this summer, for the first time since he retired in 2016. Michael believes he has been given a second chance after surviving cancer and was recently quoted by The Sun saying: ‘God gave me this little bit of talent to share with the world. He challenged me by knocking me off my high horse when I got fired from Riverdance and gave me the chance to come back and do it all again. My reward was my beautiful wife and son. ‘Who could have imagined an Irish jig would outsell the biggest rock bands in the world? I’m proud of that and all the dancers who give everything to help me achieve my dream.’ He initially shared his cancer diagnosis in early 2023, after the cancer was discovered while he was on holiday in Monaco, where he also has a home. Michael became an overnight superstar when he performed in the in the Irish dancing production Riverdance, which was first performed as a break in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994. Flatley then went on to create the megahit stage show Lord of the Dance. As well as his dancing career, Michael has also tried his hand at filmmaking. In 2019, he wrote, directed, financed, and starred in the spy film Blackbird, set in the UK, Ireland, and Barbados. Got a story? If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
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