Eamonn & Ruth
Many years ago, I took a bus ride with Girls Aloud. It was a cold November night and we were filming for Children in Need. It was just me, Sarah, Cheryl, Nadine, Kimberley and Nicola.
There were big periods of time between our live transmissions, with me dressed as a bus conductor and the girls shivering away. Boy, was it cold, and we huddled together telling funny stories to pass the time, trying to forget the weather was Baltic. One of those stories was unrepeatable in a family magazine but it’s very funny – and Nadine Coyle and the rest of us know what it was about! Part of the tale involves Sarah talking about how she used to work for the telephone service Directory Enquiries. When you consider the fame that followed, that must have seemed like someone else’s life.
But it’s her life that we’re talking about now. Unfortunately, she has revealed that over the past few months, she has been battling breast cancer. Sarah is having chemotherapy and has told us all via social media that she is fighting as hard as she can.
But whether you work in a call centre or are a pop star, cancer doesn’t discriminate. It is a vile disease. It has stolen so many lives and caused so much fear and disruption. Just because Sarah Harding’s cancer began in her breast doesn’t mean that this is a woman-only problem. A small proportion of men are also diagnosed with breast cancer.
Sarah’s cancer affects us all because we Eamonn Holmes talks about the ripple effect of the vile disease we call cancer – and explains why hearing the news that famous faces are fighting it will have touched a nerve with so many of us…
either know her, have heard of her or have listened to her music. That makes it personal and makes research into a cure something that we should all support.
The ripple effect touches everyone. We all have mothers, grandmothers. Many of us have aunts, sisters, daughters, wives, girlfriends, female cousins, friends, work colleagues, neighbours… In short, even if we haven’t got it, cancer is all around us.
As you read this, you will sadly probably now be remembering someone who has succumbed to this disease or has come through it. I’m no different. I remember those that
I have lost, in particular my granny, my mother’s mother.
I also have two long-standing friends and work colleagues who you may know. Jacquie Beltrao and I worked together on Sky News and talkRADIO. She is taking on cancer for the second time.
All I will say is, cancer picked on the wrong person with her. Jacquie has the most positive can-do attitude and shares her journey and experience in the public eye through magazine articles and social media. She has nearly finished her chemotherapy course and has continued to work throughout it. She is a fantastic example for people who are frightened and worried about what is ahead.
James Whale is a legendary radio broadcaster who’s never short of a word or two, including on how to make cancer history. He has fronted up his own cancer charity and raises lots of funds for research. James and Jacquie have a platform to talk about all of this and offer reassurance for people who have also been diagnosed.
Those in the public eye reset the medical compass, reminding us that Covid-19 isn’t the only thing that we have to be wary of. So don’t miss out on cancer referrals or check-ups.
As tens of thousands of you will testify, cancer is treatable, it is survivable, there are so many people living happy, full lives even alongside this disease long after diagnosis.
I hope Sarah, Jacquie and James will add to those examples.