Tiny Pretty Things' Barton Cowperthwaite Is Battling Cancer

Tiny Pretty Things alum Barton Cowperthwaite has been fighting a private health battle.

On Nov. 10, the actor and ballet dancer revealed he has brain cancer and is set to undergo surgery.

"Yesterday I was diagnosed with at least a stage 2 Glioma," the 31-year-old wrote on Instagram, alongside a pic of himself wearing a hospital gown and images from his brain scan. "It is a fairly decent sized brain tumor. The tumor's cells originate in the brain, so it's not spread from a cancer anywhere else in the body."

He continued, "The only course of treatment for something like this is brain surgery. Docs so far have been confident that they'll be able to remove most of the tumor, and that after a successful operation, and some rehab, I will be operating like my (amazing, talented, brilliant, hilarious) self. That being said it seems like scans and check ups will be apart of my life for its lengthy remainder."

Cowperthwaite said he and his family also plan to get second opinions and that he is set to undergo surgery next week. "I'll do my best to be open about the journey on here. I am planning on fully bouncing back to be better than my former glory!" her wrote. "Please feel free to reach out and I'll do my best to stay connected with as many people as I can."

Cowperthwaite is best known for playing Oren Lennox on Netflix's ballet drama series Tiny Pretty Things, which had one season and was released in 2020. A few of his former costars expressed their support for him in the comments section of his Instagram post.

Casimere Jollette, who played Bette Whitlaw, wrote, "Love you Bart...sending so much healing to you. You got this."

Fellow Tiny Pretty Things alum Michael Hsu Rosen commented, "I love you so much Barton," while Brennan Clost, who also starred on the show, wrote, "Oh Barty, I'm so sorry to hear this. Sending you so much love...you've got this!!!"

The next day, Nov. 11, Cowperthwaite shared a video explaining the symptoms that prompting him to seek medical advice that ultimately led to his cancer diagnosis.

"I over the past eight weeks have had several seizures, the most recent of which landed me in the ER," the actor said. "They were able to perform a CT scan, which discovered an abnormality, and from that point, they sent me to a different facility to get further imaging done and the MRI showed a lemon-sized glioma in my right frontal lobe."

He continued, "So, thankfully, it is not of immediate concern. They were able to discharge me and send me home. We're gathering the troops and strategizing."

Cowperthwaite also thanked his friends and fans for their support. "I love you all. I'm so grateful," he said. "All the support is welcome and I'll keep you all up to speed."

His fiancée Sophie Thoerner, to whom he proposed in July, also spoke out about Cowperthwaite's cancer battle on her Instagram. "This beautiful bright light of a human has been so unbelievably brave and optimistic during such a difficult time," she wrote, adding, "I've never seen someone receive such difficult news with such grace and confidence."

She continued, "I never believed in soulmates until I met mine. Bart is truly my other half. We were made for each other. I feel his love in my bones, and I would take his place in this fight in a nanosecond if I could, because while no one deserves this, Bart is truly the last person who should be dealing with this."