Michael Douglas Admits: It Was Tongue Cancer, Not Throat Cancer

Michael Douglas is changing his cancer story yet again.

First he had throat cancer -- which he said was a result of his performing oral sex on women. Then he thought better of admitting that.

Now he says it was really tongue cancer.

“This was right before I had to go on a big tour for ‘Wall Street,’ ” the actor said in a British TV interview that aired on Friday, referring to his promotion of 2010’s “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.”

“The surgeon said, ‘Let’s just say it’s throat cancer,’ ” Douglas, 69, recalled. “I said, ‘OK, you don’t want to say it’s tongue cancer?’ I said, ‘Why’s that?’

“And he said, ‘Well, if you really want to know why, if we do have to have surgery, it’s not going to be pretty. You’ll lose part of your jaw and your tongue and all of that stuff.’ So I said, ‘OK, sure.’ ”

So to avoid discussing the possibility of losing part of his face with reporters while promoting his movie, Douglas came forward in August 2010 and said he had throat cancer.