AceShowbiz - "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" star Andy Whitfield has beaten cancer - and is "raring to go" back to work on the U.S. series. The actor, who plays gladiator slave Spartacus, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma earlier this year, resulting in a delay in production on the second series of the show, which is filmed in New Zealand.

Whitfield has now been given the all-clear after months of treatment - and he has already begun training to get back in shape for the physically demanding role, with plans to enroll in boot camp sessions in July.

He tells Deadline, "I'm raring to go... After the initial shock - I was a healthy young man and had no idea that this could happen - it was frustrating that the first season was ending on such a high note and we could've been rolling into season two. (I've had) time to heal, figure things out and spend time with my family." Whitfield is due to resume filming the drama in October.