JAMIE Theakston’s wife has broken her silence following his cancer diagnosis.
Sophie Siegel showed her support as she reposted his announcement, telling fans: “My man. We got this.”
Jamie has been married to jewellery designer Sophie since 2007 and they share two children Sidney, 16, and Kit, 15.
Sophie also reposted a message from Amanda Holden and added a series of heart emojis, to show her appreciation.
Yesterday Jamie, 53, revealed he has been diagnosed with stage 1 laryngeal cancer.
The star, who presents the Heart Radio breakfast show, said the disease was spotted by radio listeners after they noticed a change in his voice.
Jamie sought medical advice and last month told fans he had undergone surgery to his vocal chords.
Jamie wrote online: “Hi folks, as you know – I recently had an operation to remove a lesion from my vocal chords.
“The biopsy has identified this as Stage 1 Laryngeal cancer.
“So I have cancer but cancer doesn’t have me! “The prognosis is very positive and I’m hoping to be back with you in October.
“Until then, I’ve been told to give my voice a rest. Huge thanks to all the Global family who have been unbelievably supportive.
“Be thankful for this day, and when I see you next, I’ll have a great story to tell.” The main treatments for throat cancer include radiotherapy, surgery, chemotherapy and targeted cancer medicines.
Symptoms include pain when swallowing, lumps and breathlessness.
Jamie’s co-star Amanda spoke about Jamie’s health update on the morning show.
She said: “We share everything with you on this show, the ups and the downs.
“So, it feels only right that we get you completely up to speed with what’s going on.
“You might have seen on Jamie’s socials, he recently had an operation to remove a lesion from his vocal cords and we wanted to let you know that this biopsy has actually been identified as stage 1 laryngeal cancer.
THERE are six key symptoms of laryngeal cancer to look out for according to the NHS:
Other signs also include: bad breath, unintentional weight loss, or fatigue (extreme tiredness).
You should see your doctor if you notice you:
“Even though it has been identified as cancer, it is not all bad news.” Amanda continued: “He has told us that we have got to hold the fort and he has told us that the show must go on and absolutely that’s what we’re going to do.
“I know after this announcement all of those listening are going to be sending your best wishes to our King.
“Our lovely Jamie who is going to be better and back with us soon.” It comes just weeks after Jamie revealed he was taking a break from his breakfast show to recover from surgery.
He explained online that listeners had been in touch after noticing his voice sounded different.
Jamie has presented Heart Breakfast since 2005.
He is a TV presenter, producer and actor – and started off his career presenting Top of the Pops between 1998 and 2003.
By Lizzie Parry, Head of Health
HEARING the word ‘cancer’ is terrifying for anyone, you immediately fear the worst.
My family recently had to face the reality of a cancer diagnosis, and it floored me.
I’ve been a health journalist for many, many years and I come from a family of medics so I’ve grown up understanding what this disease can mean.
I’ve interviewed countless brave cancer patients, each facing their own very personal journeys, some with positive endings but more often than not, they’ve ended in heartbreak.
There are over 200 different types of cancer, hundreds of symptoms and many, many different types of treatment, chemo and side effects.
But what most cancers have in common is the fact that the earlier they are caught, the better a person’s chances are of surviving.
In Jamie Theakston’s case, he has been diagnosed with stage 1 laryngeal cancer, a type of head and neck cancer that starts in the voice box.
The star praised listeners of his Heart Radio show, who raised concerns that his voice ‘hadn’t sounded right’.
It prompted Jamie to see a doctor and get checked, and in doing so his cancer was detected at the earliest stage.
The key piece of information here is ‘stage 1’, it means Jamie’s cancer is contained within his larynx and his vocal cords are still able to move.
It means his cancer has not spread to nearby tissues, his lymph nodes or other organs.
And according to Cancer Research UK, around 90 per cent of people diagnosed with stage 1 laryngeal cancer will survive their cancer for five years or more.
That compares to just 30 per cent of people diagnosed at stage 4, when the cancer has already spread.
Like all celebrities who choose to share their cancer diagnosis, Jamie will no doubt help to raise awareness of a disease that doesn’t discriminate and will affect one in two of us in our lifetime.
And his case will hopefully be an example of one of those positive endings.
So take a note out of Jamie’s book, and give yourself a quick MOT each month – by regularly checking your body, and understanding your ‘normal’ you can quickly identify when things don’t look or feel right.
If you’re worried about any changes to your body that persist for more than a few weeks, be it feeling more tired, or losing weight without trying, see your doctor and get checked.
Cancer is terrifying, but caught early it can be treated and people do survive.
For more information about laryngeal cancer visit CRUK website.
