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Patrick Swayze's smoking regrets

By April MacIntyre Jan 8, 2009, 1:00 GMT

Patrick Swayze wants you to look forward to seeing his work in the upcoming A&E series The Beast, A smoker, Swayze acknowledged that the habit may have caused the harm: "I will go so far as to say probably smoking had something to do with my pancreatic cancer," he said. While he has not yet kicked the habit, he did say that he has "seriously cut down.". © PRN / PR Photos

While he is promoting his new A&E series "The Beast", actor Patrick Swayze has taken the initiative to talk frankly to Barbara Walters on ABC about his cancer, and the possible causes of it.

A smoker, Swayze acknowledged that the habit may have caused the harm: "I will go so far as to say probably smoking had something to do with my pancreatic cancer," he said. While he has not yet kicked the habit, he did say that he has "seriously cut down."

In his first interview since the shock news he had pancreatic cancer, Patrick Swayze sat down with Barbara Walters for ABC News.

Swayze noted that his advanced-stage cancer has dramatically affected his life.

"Two years seems likely, if you're going to believe statistics," Swayze revealed his short life expectancy, airing Wednesday night (January 7) at 10 p.m. ET.

The "Ghost" actor described the symptoms that first led him to suspect he was ill.

"I dropped about 20 pounds in the blink of an eye," he said. "And then when you see it in the mirror, when all of a sudden you pull your eyes down, and the bottom of your eyes go yellow and jaundice sets in — then you know something's wrong."

Swayze kept his work ethic intact despite the physical hardship. He worked 12-hour days for five months last year for the A&E drama, "The Beast."

"I keep dreaming of a future, a future with a long and healthy life, not lived in the shadow of cancer but in the light," Swayze said. "You can bet that I'm going through hell. And I've only seen the beginning of it."

"The Beast" premieres on A&E January 15.