Spandau Ballet star Martin Kemp today described his “terrifying” battle with two brain tumours.

All clear: Martin Kemp had an early form of Gamma Knife surgery

The 47-year-old singer, who has now been given the all clear, first discovered he had a tumour in 1995. He is about to start a world tour with the revived Eighties pop group next month.

His wife Shirlie found a lump in his head and doctors diagnosed two tumours — but only one could be removed. The second tumour was too deeply embedded in his brain for surgeons to reach and Kemp was forced to live with it for two years.

Today, as he opened a cancer unit at the London hospital that saved his life, Kemp said: “The first tumour was the size of a squashed grapefruit and doctors could cut my skull to get to it.

“But what was terrifying was the second tumour — the doctors avoided talking about it. I was very worried about the little guy in the middle of my head.

“After two years doctors said it was growing and wanted to cut it out. But my wife didn't want me to have the operation because it would leave so much collateral damage.

“She found a doctor who said it could be attacked with radiation, with an early form of Gamma Knife technology. Within six months of treatment there were signs it was dying and today there is nothing left of it.”

Barts' Hospital in Smithfield was one of only two hospitals in the country that had the “targeted” radiation technology when he fell ill 14 years ago.

Today he paid tribute to the trust by opening the London Gamma Knife Centre at Barts', which will specialise in the radiosurgery. It works by concentrating radiation on the tumour, so that surrounding healthy tissue is not damaged. Unlike normal brain surgery, patients undergoing Gamma Knife surgery are given a local anaesthetic and are often well enough to go back to work the next day. In most cases it is effective after one dose, and works on both malignant and benign tumours in the brain, head and neck.

Kemp said: “It's great that the Gamma Knife surgery is now available and that so many more people will have access to this kind of treatment.

When I was first diagnosed there was nobody out there I knew who had come through it. It was a terrifying situation, but I want to be an example for patients now. At first it is such a massive shock you start to think it is the end of the world.”

Patients having Gamma Knife treatment today have an MRI scan to locate the exact position of the tumours. They wear a special frame to keep their head completely still while the radiation is targeted at the tumour.

Kemp said: “If this machine had been around when I was ill it would have been suggested a lot quicker — I probably would not have had to wait two years for the treatment.

The £3 million centre is based at Barts', but the equipment is owned by private hospital group HCA. Until now NHS patients had to travel to Harley Street to have the treatment in a private clinic.

Ian Sabin, consultant neurosurgeon, said: “NHS patients used to have their frame fitting and MRI scan at the Royal London, but then had to go to the HCA's clinic in Harley Street for the Gamma Knife treatment. Now they can have everything under the same roof.”

About 80 per cent of the people treated at the centre will be NHS patients. Kemp, originally from Islington, lives with Shirlie, a former Wham! backing singer and one half of former pop duo Pepsi and Shirlie, and their children, Harley Moon, 20, and Roman, 16, in Hertfordshire.