Henri Lansbury: “I Knew I Had Cancer… But I Didn’t Want to Stop Playing”

On this week’s episode of That Peter Crouch Podcast, the lads are joined by former Arsenal and Nottingham Forest midfielder Henri Lansbury—a man known for his composed playmaking style, his Premier League journey, and now, his unexpected new life as a lawn-care entrepreneur.

Henri gets candid about a life-changing diagnosis—testicular cancer—and opens up on how he discovered it, why he kept it quiet during his career, and how football dressing room culture shaped his response. In a powerful, funny, and refreshingly honest chat, Henri explains the moment he realised something was wrong, the speed of his surgery, and how football banter helped him process it all.

The lads also dive into Henri’s career journey through Arsenal’s elite youth system, wild loan spells at Scunthorpe and Norwich, and his glory years at Forest. There’s even time to talk about robot lawn mowers, silent discos, and how Henri went from footballer to founder of Grass Gains, the fertiliser brand making waves in Premier League stadiums and home gardens alike.

Stick around to hear some top-class football nostalgia, locker room laughs, and the kind of heartfelt real talk that this podcast delivers best.

Chumbawamba

00:00 – Intro

02:30 – Crouchfest at Glastonbury?

06:00 – Henri Lansbury’s Arsenal roots and elite youth training

13:00 – Loan life at Scunthorpe: “Where the f*** is Scunthorpe?”

20:30 – Training on a farmer’s field with rats

24:10 – Life-changing moment: discovering the lump

25:40 – Immediate surgery and hiding the truth from his club

26:50 – The football banter that helped him heal

28:30 – Why he didn’t tell anyone and why he’s speaking now

34:20 – Lansbury’s best football years: Forest and Villa

38:00 – The unexpected rise of Grass Gains fertiliser

41:30 – Supplying professional stadiums (secretly)

45:00 – Billy Davies’ paranoia and man management

47:20 – Jack Grealish at Villa vs now: “He just took the piss!”

Check out Grass Gains: https://www.grassgains.co.uk/?srsltid=AfmBOopGnZTHnwjsjSubs2LKImqj5Zzrm2Dq5wUwqUQDbIZdF54tNgT2

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