Red Symons had decided to reveal his pain at raising a son battling cancer for the first time.

The Australia's Got Talent judge, together with 18-year-old son Samuel and wife Elly, is due to tell all about Samuel's brain tumour diagnosis and treatment on the ABC's Australian Story this week.

Symons, who has kept Samuel's medical situation private until now, told The Daily Telegraph: "I did feel that he might well be misrepresented and treated in a rather tabloid way.

"If you're going to tell this story, it should be told properly. There was no good could come of him being poor little celebrity weepy boy."

Samuel was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour at the age of four and was not expected to live.