Overview

• Lars Klingbeil, SPD co-chair, disclosed for the first time that he was diagnosed with tongue cancer in 2014, which he self-detected and successfully treated.
• The diagnosis followed years of heavy smoking, with Klingbeil consuming up to 40 cigarettes daily before quitting 11 years ago.
• He described his recovery as a stroke of 'great luck,' given the low survival rates associated with tongue cancer, and has remained cancer-free since then.
• Klingbeil credits the experience with instilling a lasting sense of calm and resilience, which he says influences his measured approach to politics.
• The revelation, made in Die Zeit's 'Alles gesagt?' podcast, adds a personal dimension to Klingbeil’s leadership during ongoing coalition negotiations.