TV BILL: I’VE GOT CANCER
...but it’s not like I’m going to pop my clogs in two years’ time, he says
TV and radio host Bill Turnbull has been told he could have just 10 years left to live.
Ex-BBC Breakfast presenter Bill has prostate cancer which has spread to his bones.
Tonight, TV viewers will see him taking part in The Great Celebrity Bake Off For Stand Up To Cancer.
But while trying to impress judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood at the same time as raising awareness of the condition, Bill, 62, had no idea he actually had it himself.
He said: “When I was making my cupcakes, I had the disease and didn’t know it.”
Bill, a contestant on Strictly back in 2005 and a presenter on Songs Of Praise, had not been to his GP for four years as he did not feel unwell.
He had undergone prostate cancer tests when he was 40 and 50.
However when he began suffering aches and pains and his toilet pattern changed he realised something was wrong.
When he finally went to his doctor, he was told he had prostate cancer and it had spread to his bones.
The TV star – who has a wife, Sarah, and three grown-up children – admitted to Radio Times: “Maybe if I’d got it earlier and stopped it at the prostate, I’d be in a much better state. I’m cross with myself.
“The GP said: ‘It’s clear you have prostate cancer and that it’s spread to the bone.’
“And all of a sudden you’re in this dark chasm.”
He describes the weekend when ¬ he broke the news to his family a few months ago as “the worst days of my life”.
Medics have told him most people with bone cancer will live another 10 years.
With chemotherapy he could make 14. And Bill’s consultant wants him to reach 18 years.
He added: “The contract I thought I had with life has been shortened quite a bit. I realise if things progress as they do on average, I can’t plan beyond 12 years.
“But gosh, I would like to see at least one grandchild and there’s still lots of time for that to happen. It’s not like I’m going to pop my clogs in two years’ time.
“Whatever happens, I’ve had a wonderful life so far. I’d just like to get a bit more out of it!
“I know I’m not going to get cured and I’m realistic about the long-term prospects, but they’re not bad.
“Does it frighten me? No. It saddens me that I’m not going to be around as much as I thought with my wife and family. It’s a shame.”
He says viewers should watch tonight’s Bake Off and take note, adding: “If one man gets tested who might not otherwise have gone to their doctor, it’s worthwhile.” ¬
The Great Celebrity Bake Off For Stand Up To Cancer is tonight at 8pm on Channel 4.