TV’s Bill Turnbull: I’ve got prostate cancer – and it’s got worse because I didn’t see my GP for four years
FORMER BBC Breakfast host Bill Turnbull has revealed he has prostate cancer – and feels ‘stupid’ for not seeing a GP for four years.
The 62-year-old was diagnosed months ago after aches and pains that he put down to ‘old age’ were no longer being alleviated with pills.
Specialists have since found the cancer has spread to the bone, although he has been given between ten and 18 years to live. The father of three, now a Classic FM presenter, spoke out to encourage others to get tested for prostate cancer, saying that if he’d sought help earlier ‘I’d be in a much better state’.
He said: ‘The worst thing is, you carry it through the day and then you go to bed at night and wake up in the morning and it comes to you again. I have got cancer. I’ve still got cancer. It wasn’t a bad dream. And that takes a lot of dealing with.’
The Daily Mail is campaigning to end needless prostate deaths through earlier diagnosis and better treatments.
Turnbull has had kidney surgery, hormone injections and ‘knackering’ chemotherapy over the last few months and said the days after his diagnosis were ‘a dark chasm’.
Nevertheless, he is determined to stay upbeat, telling Radio Times: ‘You have to be positive, don’t you?
‘I know I’m not going to get cured and I’m realistic about the long-term prospects, but they’re not bad.
‘Most importantly, I really do think I’ve had a wonderful life, with amazing experiences as a reporter and a presenter.
‘And if it was all to end tomorrow, I couldn’t have any complaints. I’ve had a really marvellous time. You have BC, Before Cancer, when you had a normal life, and then there’s After Cancer, when things are very different.’ The presenter is also determined to continue working and said he will not draw up a bucket list, insisting his ‘life is very liveable’.
Asked how the illness has changed him, he said he is a ‘bit shorter of temper, where you can feel your inner Hulk bursting to get out’, and the hormones can make him ‘more fragile and emotional’. Turnbull had been for prostate tests when he reached 40 and 50. But there was no cancer in his family, and he put his aches and pains and changes to his ‘pee pattern’ down to old age.
However, when he eventually took himself to the doctor for a blood test, he was called back the next day. Recalling the appointment – which he attended alone as neither he nor his wife Sarah had ‘twigged how important that day was’ – he said: ‘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.’ Before his diagnosis, Turnbull recorded The Great Celebrity Bake Off for the Stand Up To Cancer charity, which begins tonight on Channel 4 at 8pm. Highlighting the irony of the timing, he said: ‘When I was making my cupcakes, I had the disease and didn’t know it.’
Figures released last month reveal that prostate cancer claims 11,800 lives a year, making it a bigger killer than breast cancer. However, there is now a new strategy to revolutionise treatment, where patients have all their tests in one day.
Those with bone cancer have an averher age life expectancy of about a decade, although chemotherapy can increase this by a few more years. Turnbull says his consultant aims to get him to 18 years. ‘I wouldn’t have any complaints,’ said the broadcaster.
‘The only thing is, I don’t want the rest of my life to be defined by the illness.’ The star was interviewed for the magazine article by Channel 5 News anchor Sian Williams – his friend and former BBCBreakfast colleague who has also battled cancer. He told how he once received an advert for a wine that will mature in 2030, adding: ‘I thought, “Oh. Not much point me buying that one then.”
And I realised 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.’
Surrey-born Turnbull, who began his broadcasting career in 1978, is bestknown for his 15-year stint on BBC Breakfast alongside Louise Minchin until 2016. He appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2005, finishing sixth.
He and his wife Sarah live in Suffolk, and have three children. The news of his diagnosis comes weeks after Stephen Fry, 60, revealed he is battling prostate cancer and has undergone surgery.
A revolutionary treatment has been launched in Scotland for men with an enlarged prostate.
the minimally invasive surgery could help thousands affected by the common condition.
But at present the 15-minute UroLift procedure is only available in one area, despite being fast-tracked across the nHS in England.
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) affects one in three men in their fifties and eight out of ten over the age of 70.
though not usually a serious health threat, it can cause problems urinating or the need to urinate frequently.
the UroLift treatment – involving insertion of permanent implants – has been launched by nHS Fife consultant urological surgeon Petros tsafrakidis.
He said: ‘UroLift has none of the downsides of traditional prostate surgery. there’s much less pain and recovery time.
‘Patients are usually discharged within a few hours, instead of a two to three-night hospital stay. the risk of permanent side-effects such as sexual dysfunction and incontinence is hugely reduced.
‘Men treated with a UroLift normally experience a rapid improvement and can resume their normal activities quickly.’
in England, the procedure was first available in 2014 and ‘fasttrack funded’ two years later. So far nHS Fife is the only Scottish health board providing it.
Costing £2,400, it is deemed more cost-effective as it requires less time in hospital, saving the nHS up to £286 per patient.
When the prostate enlarges, it puts pressure on the urethra, the tube through which urine passes. Sufferers can be given
‘Less pain and recovery time’
medication but if this does not help they may need surgery.
traditionally, this means cutting or lasering the prostate under a general anaesthetic. UroLift implants are inserted under local anaesthesia.
thomas Farrell, one of the first Scots to undergo the procedure, said it has made a ‘phenomenal difference’ to his life.
the 61-year-old, from Crossford, Fife, was diagnosed with BPH after having to get up several times a night to urinate.
He underwent the treatment in October at Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline.
He said: ‘the only time i felt any discomfort was when the anaesthetic wore off on the first day and it was only a little pain. i went home the same day.’
He added: ‘the difference has been phenomenal – i feel no discomfort at all and there’s been no getting up in the night.’
A spokesman for charity Prostate Scotland said: ‘We welcome the increasing availability of less invasive surgical procedures for men with enlarged prostates who need surgery.
‘it should be noted, however, that not all treatments are suitable for every patient.’
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Patients from other health boards have already been referred for UroLift treatment in nHS Fife.
‘the information from the use of UroLift will provide useful data to consider its use in a Scottish setting and clinicians are aware of the procedure and are monitoring the progress of its use in Fife.’