Keith Richards’ wife feels 'blessed' for his support through her cancer battle

Keith Richards' wife feels "blessed" for the support he has given her through her cancer battle.

Former model Patti Hansen was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2007 and given a 50 per cent chance of survival.

But she has since responded well to chemotherapy and other treatment and has praised her guitarist husband – publicly known for his hellraising rock 'n' roll lifestyle, but happily married to Patti since 1983 – for his help and unwavering support.

Patti – who had her cancerous bladder removed and replaced with a new one made from her own intestines - said: "I'm so blessed. I feel so healed. I didn't lose my hair, but I just sat there like a lump on a log. Keith and I watched a lot of Turner Classic Movies (TCM) like couch potatoes."

The couple's daughter Alexandra has described her father as her mother's "rock" throughout the ordeal, but admitted at one time he was very worried about 54-year-old Patti's diagnosis.

Alexandra said: "He definitely shut down, he thought the worst. But dad held her hand through the whole thing."

Patti – who also had a breast cancer scare in 2005 – insists the illness managed to bring her and 66-year-old Keith even closer together.

She added to the Daily Express newspaper: "We now have a really open relationship. I used to hold back from him. I didn't want to tell him the bad stuff. Now I tell him every little thing that's going on."