Ryan Seacrest began to cry on air as he shared the news that his father, Gary Seacrest, has been battling with prostate cancer

This marks the first time Ryan has ever shared this information on air.

He said: "It has been very private for me and my family, as it was something that was extremely hard to see with my father."

Diagnosed "years ago", his father has been undergoing treatments, such as chemotherapy, but the illness still continued to "spread". He contracted pneumonia after and required intensive care.

Ryan teared up as he told listeners the heart-wrenching request his father had given when asked what he would like for his 79th birthday coming up in a few days.

"I just wanna get outta this chair. I just wanna leave this house," Ryan recalled his father saying.

The Wheel of Fortune host revealed that he was broadcasting out of a hotel room in Atlanta "for weeks" without even his co-hosts knowledge. He said he "moved everything there" and was "in the hospital every single day in the ICU".

He originally heard the news of his father's worsening condition during a live taping for the previous season of American Idol.

Ryan said: "My sister called me and she said, 'Dad is in the ICU, and how fast can you get here?'"

He added that at the time, his father suffered from multiple issues, such as being unable to "get up to sit" or go to the bathroom.

After "weeks" in the ICU, Gary "began to get some strength back" and the former US Army lieutenant was able to stay home in Atlanta, breathing in oxygen artificially.

The host broke into tears as he shared another memory of his parents, whom he has spoken of fondly, even welcoming them on his morning program Live! With Kelly and Ryan in late 2022.

Ryan spoke about "the most powerful good, happy picture" he took of his father one night earlier, sitting with his mother on the beach overlooking the water.

"I saw him smile. I saw my mom smile," he added.

His father has recovered from pneumonia and will be returning to treatment to "fight this cancer".