'Spartacus: Blood and Sand' Star Andy Whitfield Diagnosed With Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Production on second season of the hit Starz series delayed to accommodate treatment

LOS ANGELES, March 9 -- Andy Whitfield, who plays the title role in Starz Original series "Spartacus: Blood and Sand," announced today he has been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and will begin treatment immediately in New Zealand. Whitfield discovered the cancer during a routine checkup as he prepped for the sophomore season. Andy's doctors have stated his condition is very treatable, and was detected in its early stages.

"I'm receiving excellent care, and am feeling strong, positive and determined with an army of support behind me," says Whitfield.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Andy," says Chris Albrecht, President and CEO of Starz. "His health, of course, is our primary concern. He has our complete support during this difficult time."

The second season was scheduled to begin shooting shortly in New Zealand, but has been postponed to accommodate Andy's treatment.

"Spartacus: Blood and Sand" has been a breakout success for the Starz network. The first season finale airs Friday, April 16th.

Starz Entertainment, LLC, is a premium movie service provider operating in the United States. It offers 16 movie channels including the flagship Starz� and Encore� brands with approximately 16.9 million and 30.6 million subscribers respectively. Starz Entertainment airs more than 1,000 movies and new original series every month across its pay TV channels and offers advanced services including Starz HD, Encore HD, Starz On Demand, Encore On Demand, MoviePlex On Demand, Starz HD On Demand, Encore HD On Demand, MoviePlex HD On Demand, and Starz Play. Starz Entertainment (www.starz.com) is an operating unit of Starz, LLC, which is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation, and is attributed to Liberty Starz (Nasdaq: LSTZA), a tracking stock group of Liberty Media Corporation.