Amanda Holden credits Davina McCall with leading Jamie Theakston to his throat cancer diagnosis after she shared fears that her ‘bear hug’ caused his voice problems
Amanda Holden credits Davina McCall with helping Jamie Theakston get diagnosed with cancer, fearing she was the cause of his vocal problems.
On Tuesday, Jamie, 53, announced he has been diagnosed with stage 1 laryngeal cancer after undergoing surgery to remove an abnormality on his vocal cords.
After hearing of Jamie’s diagnosis, Davina was a guest on the Heart Breakfast show. She joked that when she stood in for Amanda Holden in June, she feared she had caused her co-star’s throat problems by ‘choking him with a bear hug’.
After their embrace, Jamie started having throat pain for the first time. He went to the doctor because the symptoms were getting worse.
When Davina was a guest on the Heart Breakfast show, she was thanked by Amanda for encouraging Jamie to go to the doctor.
Amanda Holden has praised Davina McCall (pictured) for guiding Jamie Theakston through his cancer diagnosis after she expressed fears she had caused his vocal problems
Amanda said: ‘We actually want to thank you because the day you left… Davina is now known for her cuddles.’
“I’m worried about this,” Davina interrupted.
Amanda continued: ‘You gave Jamie a huge hug that nearly strangled him. As a result, Jamie started to lose his voice when I got back and it got progressively worse.’
Davina, clearly concerned, asked, “Did I do it?”
But Amanda assured her that she was not responsible for Jamie’s health problems. She said: ‘He went to the doctor and he said, “This is not good, we’re going to look at your throat” and it was because of you that he went to the doctor in the first place.
‘They also found a wound in his throat. He has since had it removed and everything is fine now.’
Jamie revealed on Instagram that he made an appointment with a doctor after listeners noticed something was off with his voice.
Laryngeal cancer is a form of cancer that affects the larynx (voice box).
On Tuesday, Jamie shared that he has been diagnosed with stage 1 laryngeal cancer after undergoing surgery to remove an abnormality on his vocal cords
Davina told Amanda that when she hosted Heart Breakfast with Jamie in June, she ‘strangled’ him with a bear hug, and that he started to notice his throat problems shortly after
Jamie said: ‘Hi everyone, as you know, I recently had surgery to remove an abnormality on my vocal cords.
‘The biopsy identified this as stage 1 laryngeal cancer. So I have cancer, but cancer doesn’t have me!
‘The prognosis is very positive and I hope to be with you again in October.
‘Until then, I’ve been told to give my voice a rest and entrust you to the very capable hands of JK and Amanda.
‘A big thank you to them and the entire Global family for their incredible support.
“Be thankful for this day, and when I see you next time, I’ll have a beautiful story to tell.”
On September 1, Jamie announced that he had himself checked out after some listeners noticed something was off with his voice.
According to the NHS, symptoms of larynx cancer include a change in your voice, such as hoarseness, pain when swallowing, a lump or swelling in your neck, a long-term cough or shortness of breath, persistent sore throat or earache and, in the most severe cases, difficulty breathing.
In the UK, there are over 2,000 new cases of laryngeal cancer each year. The condition is more common in people over 60 and more common in men than women.
Jamie – who is married to Sophie Siegle – wrote on Instagram: ‘So…
‘Had it checked out. Doctors found a lesion on my vocal cords which I had removed this weekend – thanks for all the kind messages – I should be back on my feet soon – in the meantime…’ and concluded the post with a zipped up mouth emoji.
Shortly after the news about Jamie, Amanda wrote: ‘Our amazing @jamie.theakston has been diagnosed with stage 1 laryngeal cancer.
Jamie revealed on Instagram that he had made an appointment with doctors after listeners noticed something was off with his voice
On September 1, he shared this message thanking listeners for noticing something wrong with his voice, which he quickly had checked out
“His prognosis is very good and he has a great team around him Jamie. We love you and miss you and look forward to seeing you again very soon.
‘With @sophietheakstonjewellery, your beautiful boys, us and the entire nation by your side… THIS WILL HAPPEN TO YOU .’
Weeks before Jamie was diagnosed with cancer, Davina McCall questioned whether she had caused Jamie’s throat injury. McCall claimed her overly friendly hug had bruised his windpipe.
In June, when Davina (56) was replacing Amanda Holden, Jamie joked that her enthusiastic hug had bruised his windpipe, which has now been removed.
Amanda told Davina: ‘You gave Jamie a huge hug that nearly strangled him. As a result, Jamie started to lose his voice when I got back and it got progressively worse.’
Jamie first rose to fame in the mid-1990s when he co-presented the children’s programme Live & Kicking with Zoe Ball from 1996. In 1999 he went on to present the popular music programme Top of the Pops.
After becoming a household name, the star continued her TV career with major presenting jobs at the BBC, including the music quiz A Question Of Pop and coverage of Glastonbury and The Millennium.
He soon moved to Channel 4, where he co-presented The Priory, a mix of celebrity chat, gossip and games, with Zoe for three successful series.
Jamie’s other TV series include The Games, The People’s Quiz, Beg Borrow or Steal and With A Little Help From My Friends.
Nowadays Jamie is also known for his impressive radio career, the star currently presents his national breakfast show on Heart FM, alongside Amanda.