Russell T Davies has said his late husband “never wanted to know” how long he had to live after being diagnosed with a brain tumour.

Describing his husband’s death as his “greatest loss”, the Doctor Who screenwriter opened up about Andrew Smith, who died in September 2018 following eight years of treatment for glioblastoma multiforme.

Glioblastoma multiforme is a malignant brain tumour – a type of cancer that begins in the brain or spreads into the brain from another area of the body.

During an appearance on the On the Marie Curie Podcast, the screenwriter said it was “hard work” looking after Smith, but that he would have done it for 50 more years “without a single complaint”.

The couple had been together for 20 years and married in 2012.

Speaking about Smith’s diagnosis, Davies, 63, remarked that his husband did a “remarkable thing” by deciding not to find out his prospects.

“It was completely to my surprise,” he said, noting that he believed this may have helped Smith persevere with his illness.

The nurse said that it was fine for Smith to not know more about his diagnosis as long as someone close to him knew, which Davies did.

Davies was informed that his husband had only 18 months to live – an expectation he surpassed when he went on to live for eight more years.

The writer – also behind TV hits such as It’s a Sin and Tip Toe – thanked the Marie Curie nurses for their support in the final weeks of Smith’s life, describing them like a “saint visiting the house”.

Smith died at home holding hands with Davies who sat alongside his sister, which the TV writer said was “very important” to him. “I’m really glad he was at home,” he said.

Elsewhere in the episode, Davies recalled how he found out about Smith’s diagnosis after his husband went by himself to what he thought was just an “ordinary meeting” with the hospital.

When he returned home, he told Davies he had been diagnosed with cancer but could not remember what type it was beyond knowing that it was a brain tumour.

“He said it’s a brain tumour. I said 'what sort of brain tumour?' And he just couldn't remember,” Davies said. “All he knew is he had another appointment in a week, so I said I would come to that obviously.”

Days later, however, Davies said Smith found a piece of paper in his bag onto which a nurse had written “glioblastoma multiforme” after which Davies looked up the diagnosis and realised how serious it was.

Earlier this year, Davies confirmed that he is dating Australian model and hospitality worker Oliver Cole. The couple celebrated their first anniversary this month.

Later this year, Davies will publish a memoir titled The Queerest of Folk, in which he chronicles his career from pioneering queer drama to spearheading Doctor Who.