Now he has raised £275,000 to help pay for another and help the hospital save more lives.
Mr Corrigan, who hosted a four-course fundraising dinner at his National Portrait Gallery restaurant The Portrait, said: “I was more than glad to support the Royal Free Charity in getting another surgical robot.
“When I was at my lowest, it was my surgeon and his team, along with that remarkable bit of kit, that gave me real hope.
“If I can help someone else get that same chance, then I’m absolutely delighted to do it.”
The funds raised went towards the Royal Free Charity’s £2 million appeal to purchase a second da Vinci Xi surgical robot for the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.
The charity has now bought the robot after raising £1.7 million for a new da Vinci Xi surgical robot at the Royal Free Hospital.
With four arms, two operating consoles and 720 degrees of rotation, the new da Vinci Xi surgical robot is a sibling for the ten-year-old da Vinci Xi of operating theatre 13 – helps surgeons carry out complex surgery for pancreas, liver and bowel cancer so that patients recover faster with fewer complications, less pain and reduced scarring.
The trust provides the largest volume of first cancer treatments of any London NHS provider, receiving 66,000 urgent cancer referrals each year.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting MP also underwent robotic surgery at the Royal Free.
Mr Corrigan was treated for kidney cancer in 2024, undergoing a seven-hour surgery to remove the tumour.
The procedure was performed by urological consultant Ravi Barod using the surgical robot.
The fundraiser featured a menu created by Mr Corrigan and fellow chefs, including Nobu’s executive chef Mark Edwards and Fortnum & Mason’s head pastry chef Roger Pizey.
Guests were served dishes such as ballotine of guinea fowl, seared salmon sashimi, and lemon tart.
After the meal, Mr Corrigan shared his cancer journey and spoke about how surgical innovation helped save his life.
The Royal Free Charity extends its thanks to Richard Corrigan and Searcy’s for sponsoring the event.
Mr Corrigan runs four London restaurants: The Portrait, Bentley’s Oyster Bar and Grill, Corrigan’s Mayfair, and Daffodil Mulligan.
He also runs Virginia Park Lodge in Co Cavan, Ireland.
