Val Kilmer gasps and struggles to speak while revealing he's cancelled upcoming tour after once again denying he has throat cancer 

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Val Kilmer was struggling to speak on Thursday as he made his first public appearance since once again denying that he has throat cancer.

The 56-year-old appeared at a screening of the film version of his play Citizen Twain in Los Angeles, where he told the crowd why he had to cancel his tour for the one-man show.

'I went into rehearsals down in Florida and started having trouble with my speech,' he said. 'Obviously I’m still recovering and my tongue swelled up and I cancelled the tour. So as I’m recovering I’m showing this.' 

Struggling: Val Kilmer was struggling to speak on Thursday as he made his first public appearance since once again denying that he has throat cancer

Val was slurring his words and gasping for breath while talking to the audience, and dabbed at his mouth with a handkerchief. 

Although the Top Gun star's trouble speaking came as a shock, he grinned as he spoke to the crowd and made them laugh by joking about his saliva.

Earlier this month Val had taken to Facebook to again deny he has cancer after his friend Michael Douglas claimed he is 'dealing with exactly what I had', referring to oral cancer. 

'My tongue swelled up': The 56-year-old appeared at a screening of the film version of his play Citizen Twain in Los Angeles, where he told the crowd why he had to cancel his tour 

The actor wrote in response: 'I love Michael Douglas but he is misinformed. The last time I spoke to him was almost two years ago, when I asked him for a referral for a specialist to get a diagnosis for a lump in my throat, which prevented me from continuing a tour of my play CITIZEN TWAIN.' 

He added: 'I ended up using a team at UCLA and have no cancer whatsoever. I still have a swollen tongue and am rehabbing steadily.'

Val also shared: 'Some fans have mistakenly thought my silence about my personal issues meant that somehow I wasn't being responsible to my health, because of my reliance on prayer and Love. Nothing could be further from the truth. Altho I am very grateful for all the support from around the world, when people found out I had a physical challenge.

Worrying: Fears for Val's health were sparked in early December when he was seen heading to the grocery store with what appeared to be a breathing aid around his neck

'Whatever led Michael Douglas to speculate about my health, he's a loving and devoted friend to a privileged group of talent people around the world, and I'm sure he meant no harm.' 

Val has denied suffering from throat cancer several times over the past year, although he did admit in October 2015 that a procedure had left him with a 'swelling'.

In January, the star again took to social media to deny that he was gravely ill in hospital after Radar claimed that he was admitted to UCLA's intensive care unit and could 'barely speak.'

'I have no cancer whatsoever': Earlier this month Val had taken to Facebook ton deny his friend Michael Douglas's claim that he is 'dealing with exactly what I had', referring to oral cancer

He wrote on Facebook: 'Thank you all for your love and support. There's a rumor I'm unwell again and in hospital which is totally untrue.'

'I was in to verify I have no tumor or infection of any kind which was verified by the very caring experts at UCLA.' 

Fears for Val's health were sparked in early December when he was seen heading to the grocery store with what appeared to be a breathing aid around his neck.  

Not true: The actor (seen in September) has denied suffering from throat cancer several times over the past year, although he did admit a procedure had left him with a 'swelling'

A tracheostomy is an incision into the windpipe to facilitate breathing, and is usually maintained with a tracheostomy tube.

The surgical opening to the trachea is made when a person's regular breathing and swallowing is affected, which can happen for various reasons.

A tracheostomy may be performed due to recent surgery, injuries to the neck or mouth, a tumour or something stuck in a person's throat and blocking it.  

Action man: Val is pictured here in a scene from his 2000 movie Red Planet