BBC newsreader Nick Owen, 75, battles ‘aggressive’ and ‘extensive’ prostate cancer: presenter shares diagnosis weeks after former co-host Anne Diamond revealed she is being treated for breast cancer

By William On Aug 7, 2023

TV presenter Nick Owen has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

The broadcaster spoke on Monday about the impact of the condition on his life following his recent absence from BBC One’s Midlands Today.

The 75-year-old told the news programme: ‘I went to a specialist, he wasn’t too worried because my grades weren’t that high.

“But he decided I should have a scan, and then the scan said something dodgy was going on, and then he sent me for a biopsy, which he did.

And the results of that were the killer — on April 13, a date (that) will forever be etched in my mind.

Devastating: BBC television presenter Nick Owen, 75, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer

Diagnosis: Nick said his doctor told him the disease was ‘extensive, real, and aggressive, and I had prostate cancer, and something had to be done quickly’ (pictured in 2018)

“He told us it was extensive, real, and aggressive, and that I had prostate cancer, and something had to be done pretty quickly.

“And that was probably the worst day of my life, or one of those days for sure.

“It was a very grim moment… driving home after that kind of news and calling people, texting people, my phone went on for hours.

“And it was a very, very difficult time for me, and indeed for my wife Vicki, who was by my side the whole time, you know.

“It was grim.”

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK – one in eight men will develop prostate cancer at some point, and over 52,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.

According to the NHS, it mainly affects men over 50 and the risk increases with age. It is more common in black men or men with a family history of prostate cancer.

A BBC spokesman said: ‘Nick has been one of the faces of Midlands Today for over 25 years. Our viewers and his colleagues have missed him a lot in recent weeks.

Support: Nick is supported by his long-term partner Vicki Beevers, whom he married in July 2020

Heartbreaking: It comes after his former Good Morning with Anne and Nick co-host Anne Diamond, 68, revealed in June that she had been battling breast cancer (Nick and Anne pictured in 1992)

“We can’t wait to welcome him back to the studio as soon as he’s ready. We all wish him a speedy recovery.’

Nick married Vicki Beevers in July 2020, previously married to Jill Lavery, with whom he has four children.

The former chairman of Luton Town Football Club is also known for his broadcasting partnership with journalist Anne Diamond.

In addition to appearing on TV-am, they had their own BBC current affairs programme, Good Morning With Anne And Nick, in the 1990s.

Anne, now a presenter of GB News, announced in June that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

The 68-year-old fought back tears when she confirmed in an interview on GB News at the time that she was battling the disease.

She recalled doctors breaking the news to her the same day she was given an OBE, saying it had been “an amazing journey.”

Anne was off the air for nearly six months and is still undergoing “heavy” treatment for the disease, including radiation.

Tough time: Anne fought back tears when she confirmed in an interview on GB News that she was battling the disease

She said it had been a “battle” and after five months “I’m still not at the end of the journey, but I’ve got through enough to get back to work.”

Anne said: ‘It was a wonderful moment (to be told about the OBE) and it was (at) 9:30 in the morning.

“But I knew then, because I had already seen my GP, that I had to go for a breast cancer screening later in the morning. I thought I’d just go for a mammogram, and a few tests and I’d be out in an hour.

“I spent all morning at my local hospital where they did everything, biopsies, X-rays, CT scans, a few mammograms, everything, and by lunchtime I was still there.

“And a lovely lady came up with a string around her neck that said MacMillan Cancer Care and that’s when I knew it was serious.”

The mother-of-five revealed she is still undergoing “heavy” treatment after taking months off from work to focus on battling cancer.

She added, “I don’t have any advice for people because I’m still going through it. But I’m good enough to go back to work. I had the full works, the full mastectomy.

Illness: Anne, pictured with Nick Owen on TV-am in 1985, got her diagnosis on the same day she was told she would have an OBE

“God, this is my first time talking about it, so it’s kind of hard, but I’ve had the full job. The first surgery I underwent lasted nine hours.

‘I can not remember. I was so in and out but nine hours of removal and rebuilding that took a lot of effort to get over and then I had surgery later where they also removed lymph nodes just to make sure they can trace the journey, if the cancer has traveled all the way to the rest of the body. Luckily I don’t think so.

‘I had a lot of radiotherapy, which I also found very difficult.

“So it’s been a journey, but I don’t pretend for a minute that I’m extraordinary because I’m fully aware that a quarter of the women in this country are going through what I just went through and I don’t have any advice to offer. I only have empathy.’

WHAT IS PROSTATE CANCER?

How many people does it kill?

More than 11,800 men a year – or one every 45 minutes – die from the disease in Britain, compared with about 11,400 women who die from breast cancer.

It means prostate cancer is behind only lungs and bowel in terms of how many people it kills in Britain.

In the US, 26,000 men die from the disease each year.

Despite this, it receives less than half of breast cancer research funding and treatments for the disease are at least a decade behind schedule.

How many men are diagnosed each year?

Each year, more than 52,300 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the UK – more than 140 a day.

How fast is it developing?

Prostate cancer usually develops slowly, so there may be no signs that someone has had it for many years, according to the health service.

If the cancer is at an early stage and does not cause symptoms, a policy of ‘watchful waiting’ or ‘active surveillance’ may be followed.

Some patients can be cured if the disease is treated at an early stage.

But if it is diagnosed at a later stage, when it has spread, it becomes terminal and treatment revolves around relieving the symptoms.

Thousands of men are deterred from getting a diagnosis because of the known side effects of the treatment, including erectile dysfunction.

Testing and treatment

Tests for prostate cancer are haphazard, with accurate tools just beginning to emerge.

There is no nationwide prostate screening program because the tests have been too imprecise for years.

Doctors struggle to differentiate between aggressive and less severe tumors, making it difficult to make a decision about treatment.

Men over the age of 50 are eligible for a ‘PSA’ blood test that gives doctors a rough idea of whether a patient is at risk.

But it is unreliable. Patients who get a positive result usually get a biopsy which is also not foolproof.

Scientists aren’t sure what causes prostate cancer, but age, obesity, and lack of exercise are known risks.

Anyone with any concerns can speak to Prostate Cancer UK specialist nurses on 0800 074 8383 or visit prostatecancer.org