Ben Stiller says he celebrated his first erection after prostate cancer surgery

The actor said his member popped up completely out of the blue

The legendary actor - who is set to star in a re-run of the 2004 hit film Dodgeball - said he went through a dark time after he was diagnosed with the disease back in 2014.

He has since made a full recovery after undergoing a medical operation, but has been urged to speak openly about the cancer by his surgeon, Dr. Ted Schaeffer, who hopes his experience could be used to encourage men to get regular checks to stay on top of their health.

Appearing on The Howard Stern Show, Stiller got frank about what he went through before, during, and after his diagnosis and treatment.

He said he was lucky enough not to experience any loss of sexual function or problems with urination after undergoing surgery.

In fact, he even had his first erection only a day after going under the knife.

“When the first erection happened post-surgery, we all celebrated,” he recalled in his book. "It came out of the blue for me. I had no idea.”

Ben Stiller was diagnosed with prostate cancer purely by chance. While most guidelines recommend testing men regularly once they reach the age of 50, Stiller had a PSA, or prostate-specific antigen test, much earlier.

It was a good thing he did, as it caught it early enough to treat the cancer effectively.

“It’s a very controversial subject, the PSA test. The PSA test is the only early screener for prostate cancer and, right now, the United States Preventive Services Task Force does not recommend to take the test,” Stiller said at the time. “I think American Cancer Society says you should discuss it at 50. If I hadn’t taken the test – my doctor started giving it to me at 46 – I would not have known. Right now, I still wouldn’t have known.”

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