Bill Turnbull says his cancer battle has ‘become relentlessly boring’
Bill Turnbull has called his daily battle with cancer ‘relentlessly boring’ and revealed he quit chemotherapy earlier this year.
The veteran presenter said the disease is present in his life when he goes to sleep at night and when he wakes up each morning, after starting treatment again.
The Classic FM and former BBC Breakfast presenter was diagnosed with incurable prostate cancer in November 2017 and has spoken to Radio Times magazine about his struggle.
Turnbull has had 10 rounds of chemotherapy in a bid to stop the cancer, which has spread across his pelvis, hips, legs and spine.
He said: ‘It’s the fact that having cancer is so relentlessly boring. You go to bed at night thinking about it, and it’s still there when you wake up.
A year on from being diagnosed with prostate cancer, former BBC Breakfast presenter Bill Turnbull said the disease is ever present
Mr Turnbull (left) did not accept he was ‘courageous’ and instead praised Sarah Bland who died recently after battling the disease. He wrote for the Radio Times (right), in which he revealed he decided to quit treatment for a time
‘It’s there all day, every day – a fact of life you have to get used to. And it’s a massive pain in the backside.’
In July he asked his doctors to stop the chemotherapy, before doing four more rounds.
He said: ‘I asked the consultant to release me from the treatment. I just couldn’t bear it any longer.’
He has said he does not accept being called courageous for speaking out about cancer, but has paid tribute to his late colleague Sarah Bland, who died at 40 after blogging about her struggles with cancer and showing ‘courage indeed’.
Turnbull’s blood count for cancer has been brought down by the chemotherapy, but it could return within months.
BBC Breakfast presenter Bill Turnbull was diagnosed with incurable cancer a year ago in November 2017
Bill Turnbull wrote for the Radio Times, in which he revealed he decided to quit treatment for a time
He has said it is not clear how long he will live, even if future treatment is successful.
Turnbull earlier told BBC Breakfast that the first few days following his diagnosis were the ‘darkest’.
‘I did nine rounds of chemotherapy, which is a bit of a grind to be honest. That finished a few weeks ago,’ the presenter said.
‘The effects of the chemo have been wearing off, which means my energy levels are back up and I feel a lot better in that respect.
‘I’ve still got the disease and we’ve got an awfully long way to go, but for the moment I’m feeling OK.’
He described being diagnosed, as he was recording The Great Celebrity Bake Off For Stand Up To Cancer on Channel 4, as a ‘bombshell’ moment.
This week’s Radio Times is available from Monday.
