Ronnie Wood has had a lucky escape from serious illness by having a lesion in his lung surgically removed after it was discovered in its early stages by doctors. Thankfully, he'll be healthy enough to go ahead with the Rolling Stones tour later this year.

Ronnie Wood outside the Roundhouse in LondonRonnie Wood outside the Roundhouse in London

The 69-year-old Rolling Stones guitarist is expected to recover fully following his operation, as confirmed by a spokesperson to the media yesterday (May 24th 2017). No further treatment is needed and he's already feeling 'fine'.

'I'm so grateful for modern screening which picked this up so early, and would like to thank all the doctors who treated me', Ronnie said, according to the Daily Mail. It is unknown whether or not the lung wound was related to his years of smoking, though he did quit following the birth of his twins Gracie and Alice in March 2016.

'Ronnie is giving up for good', a source told the publication last year. 'He's really serious about kicking the habit and has been constantly puffing on his vape stick. It's the longest he's gone without cigarettes in 50 years. While Sally is over the moon, Keith [Richards] has been telling everyone he looks ridiculous. Keith says giving up fags shows a complete lack of commitment, which has amused Ronnie no end. Keith jokingly told Ronnie they might as well not be pals seeing as they can no longer drink or smoke together anymore.'

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It seems the rocker, who will be 70 next week, will be back to normal by the Autumn when Ronnie will be embarking on a European tour with the Stones. They will kick off at Hamburg's Stadtpark on September 9th 2017 and conclude at the U Arena in Paris on October 25th 2017. They will also appear in cities the likes of Stockholm, Amsterdam, Barcelona and Zurich.