Jamie Theakston says he is ‘cancer free’ as he returns to Heart Breakfast
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TV and radio presenter Jamie Theakston has said he is “cancer free” months on from his stage one laryngeal cancer diagnosis. The 54-year-old, who announced his condition in September, has been off-air since last year, and is set to return to his Heart Breakfast radio show from Monday.
Theakston told the show on Friday: “Today is the four-month anniversary of my cancer diagnosis. “So it’s been four months, and I’ve had enough of hospitals and operations, and it’s just lovely to be back, and I’ve got some news for you. Because I can tell you that as of today, I’m cancer free.”.
He also said that his diagnosis was an “enormous shock” as he had thought it was just a “sore throat”. “And when I was told, ‘Oh, it’s probably cancer’, just, literally, I just didn’t even know what to say. I mean, it just blew my mind,” he added.
“So, the first surgery wasn’t as successful as we hoped. Had a second surgery, and then a third surgery, and each time, I was doing more and more damage to my vocal cords. “So, in actual fact, by the third one, they said, ‘Well, look, you’ve got a one in six chance you might not be able to talk again’. And so, then you kind of think, ‘Oh, OK, that’s like rolling a dice’, yeah, I’ll take that.”.
According to the NHS, laryngeal cancer affects the larynx and symptoms include pain when swallowing, a lump or swelling in the neck and a persistent sore throat. Theakston also said that it has been “tough, because, again, you know cancer, a whole family suffers”.
