After some Internet speculation over Rudy Giuliani’s recent hospital visit the former mayor has now publicly stated he is “cancer free” while handing out Christmas presents for “Hale House” in Harlem. Prostate cancer put an end to his 2000 run for the New York State Senate, which would have pitted him against now Senator Hillary Clinton, and after a sudden and mysterious stay at a hospital this week because of what the campaign described as both the flu and a bad headache.

Giuliani did get tested about three weeks ago for signs of prostate cancer but say the results had him at “zero or negligible”.