Dolph Lundgren From ‘Rocky IV’ Was Given Only 2 Years To Live — His 40-Years-Younger ‘Angel’ Fiancée Is by His Side

• Dolph Lundgren recently revealed he has been struggling with an illness for almost a decade
• Lundgren’s younger fiancée supported him throughout his battle.
• Fans were not pleased for the couple when they finally got engaged.

Swedish actor Dolph Lundgren is famous for his tough-guy roles in movies like the “Rocky Balboa” franchise and “Creed II,” but he has recently gone through something that has caused him to abandon that persona somewhat.

Nobody has heard from Lundgren in some time. Since his recent films, he has taken a step back from acting. Until now, fans did not know why the actor had seemingly disappeared from the movie scene.

Recently, Lundgren made the shocking revelation that he has been fighting cancer for eight years. Doctors first discovered a tumor in his kidney in 2015, and the actor has been battling the illness on and off since then.

After removing the first tumor, Lundgren had a scan every six months to monitor the area. Then, in 2020, he was in his home country of Sweden and believed he was suffering from acid reflux. However, an MRI revealed that more tumors had grown in the area.

Doctors found six more tumors, one of which had grown too large for them to try and remove. Doctors told Lundgren he had to start systemic therapy to treat the tumors. Unfortunately, by the fall of 2021, doctors discovered more tumors.

Lundgren realized then that it was worse than he thought. Doctors told him he had a tumor outside his kidneys in his spine, lungs, and stomach. They advised the actor to take some time off and spend it with his family as much as possible.

Talking about the experience, Lundgren revealed that he asked doctors how long he had left to live. He shared:

“I think he said two or three years, but I could tell in his voice that he probably thought it was less.”

Lundgren felt he needed a second opinion to be sure about his prognosis. The second doctor he visited found that his kidney cancer was mutating more like lung cancer and should therefore be treated as lung cancer.

The actor admitted that if he had gone through with the treatment plan from the first doctor, he would have had three to four months left to live. However, the new treatment shrunk his tumors by up to 30% within the first three months.

Lundgren shared that last year was spent watching the new medications he was on take form and shrink the tumors he had. Eventually, the medicine shrunk his tumors by up to 90%, and he is now removing the scar tissue the tumors caused.

When Lundgren talked about his hopes for the future and what doctors hoped would happen from here on, the actor shared:

“The prognosis is that, hopefully, when they take these out, there’s no cancer activity, and the medication that I’m taking is gonna suppress everything else.”

While it has been difficult for Lundgren to undergo treatments and fight the battle against cancer without sharing his struggle with the world, he has not been alone. His fiancée, who is 40 years his junior, has been by his side throughout.

Talking about how his fiancée, Emma Krokdal, has helped him through his cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment, Lundgren said Krokdal was “like an angel sent down to help [him]” and that he was grateful for her.

When asked about their age gap, Lundgren agreed that it was significant, and people frowned upon it. However, he also confirmed:

“I feel like Emma is very mature for her age, for sure.”

He then shared that Krokdal had come from a small town in Norway and had been through a messy divorce in the US. Lundgren believes that his fiancée’s early experiences have allowed her to mature faster. He also said he thinks he is youthful and has been with people twice Krokdal’s age who are less mature than she is.

In 2020, Lundgren knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with the woman he says is mature for her age. He and Krokdal celebrated their engagement together and announced it on social media. However, fans were not pleased.

Lundgren shared a photo of himself and Krokdal standing near a table laid with flowers, snacks, and a bottle of champagne. Krokdal held up her left hand, which was adorned with a beautiful diamond ring.

In the caption, Lundgren mentioned that he had proposed to Krokdal in Sweden and called the occasion “very special.” However, most fans did not think the moment was special, nor did they believe the couple should wed.

In fact, she has often been criticized when Krokdal posted content on herself and Lundgren on social media. Many called her a “gold digger,” and others also believed that money was the only reason they were together. One fan even said Lundgren looked like Krokdal’s father.

Lundgren receives similar opinions whenever he posts photos of himself and his younger beau. One image Lundgren posted in March 2021 gained negative attention, with fans mentioning their age gap was too large.

One fan said that although Lundgren was still handsome, they thought Krokdal was simply after his fame and money. The same fan wondered why Lundgren would want to date a woman who was old enough to be his daughter.

Other fans took it upon themselves to issue a warning to Lundgren, saying he shouldn’t marry Krokdal because she was only going to “use [him] for [his] money.” Other fans simply wondered if Krokdal was his daughter.

Despite fans’ criticisms and warnings, Lundgren and Krokdal are still happily in love and awaiting their wedding date. Lundgren remains grateful to Krokdal for her support during his cancer struggle.