The former Casualty star said that doctors gave him five years to live when he was daignosed with the disease in 2007.
MacCokindale, who has been married to actress Susan George for 25 years, told The Mail On Sunday that they kept the prognosis quiet because he "didn't want to make a fuss".
"We are very private people and wanted to deal with it on our own," he said.
The 57-year-old was first diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2006, but was told it had been caught in time by doctors. A year later he discovered that the cancer had spread to his lungs and had become incurable.
George, 59, said that she clings to the hope that her husband will beat the disease. "We have to believe and never stop believing that we can come out of this thing with a good result," she said.
"Never underestimate the power of the mind and spirit. I’m not necessarily talking a cure, but the aim is to shrink the cancer – to get rid of it. At the moment we feel that we are winning the battle."
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