Hartson helps the charity that helped him

The £3 million Maggie’s South West Wales was officially opened by Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones, Celtic legend Hartson, Japanese ambassador Keiichi Hayashi and the family of the late architect Kisho Kurokawa in a ceremony at Singleton Hospital in Swansea.

Former striker Hartson, 36, was diagnosed with testicular cancer which spread to his lungs and brain in 2009.

But his treatment was successful and he has since set up the John Hartson Foundation, which is supporting Maggie’s, with hopes of funding a new centre in future.

At the opening in Swansea, he thanked the widow of Wales manager Gary Speed after she called on football fans to support his charity.

Speed, who was found dead at his home in Cheshire last month, was laid to rest yesterday at a private funeral ceremony in North Wales. In the aftermath of the tragedy, the former Newcastle and Leeds midfielder’s wife Louise called on people to make donations to two cancer funds – the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and the John Hartson Foundation.

“I am incredibly touched by Louise’s calls for people to back my charity. Gary was always very supportive of the foundation,” Hartson said.

Hartson underwent several life-saving operations and endured more than 60 chemotherapy sessions.

He credited Singleton Hospital oncologist Dr Gianfilippo Bertelli with saving his life, as well as helping him overcome the emotional roller-coaster by putting him touch with the cancer specialist support service Maggie’s.

“I used the interim centre before the new one opened,” he said. “It was great because the people at Maggie’s were incredibly supportive to me.

“Being a footballer, I was used to my body taking a bit of a battering, so I always felt I could cope with the operations and the chemotherapy. But the emotional side of it was incredibly tough. I’m not ashamed to admit I’m an emotional person – I even cry at watching EastEnders.”

The concept of the new Maggie’s building was drawn up in about 2007 by Kurokawa and fellow designers Wendy James and Thore Garbers before the Japanese architect’s death.

German-born Mr Garbers, 39, said: “We all met up for dinner in London and Kisho drew a few sketches on a napkin. Sadly, he died a month later, but from that meeting, we took some of his initial ideas and tried to bring them to life. The central idea was to create a place that was warm and inviting – as well as accessible.”

It is the 10th Maggie’s facility in the UK and the first in Wales.