Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber is grateful to be alive after receiving the all-clear in his prostate cancer battle.

The theatre impresario is recovering quickly after finishing treatment and surgery to remove his prostate gland at a clinic in London last year.

He says, "It is the hugest relief. We have arrived - at the end of a long journey - at the best possible outcome. In my case, I will be 62 next year and I have five children. Most importantly, I am alive, my children have a father."

Now the composer, who was left infertile by the surgery, is urging fans to get regular check-ups - because his cancer diagnosis might have been missed altogether if a dormant E. Coli infection hadn't been aggravating his prostate.

He explains, "If that infection had been found and cured, I could have been blissfully unaware that I had a cancerous tumour that was on the verge of breaking loose around the rest of my body. I could have thought my frequent trips to the bathroom were due to a weak bladder. I have been bl**dy lucky."