Sunrise star Natalie Barr stuns in baby blue alongside Matt Shirvington at racing event – after comforting emotional colleague Edwina Bartholomew amid cancer battle

By William On Sep 6, 2024

Sunrise star Natalie Barr put on a brave face after work as she walked off the show with co-host Matt ‘Shirvo’ Shirvington amid colleague Edwina Bartholomew’s battle with cancer.

Just hours earlier, the 56-year-old breakfast show presenter was spotted holding Edwina’s hand as she announced her shocking diagnosis live on radio.

Now the Seven star turned up at the Sydney Everest Carnival Long Lunch in Randwick on Friday dressed head to toe in striking baby blue.

Natalie wore a flowing blue chiffon cape which she draped over a matching jumpsuit and cinched at the waist with a beige belt.

The co-anchor accessorised with a pair of beige pumps, gold half hoop earrings and a light blue fascinator.

Natalie looked radiant with her tanned eyes and nude lips, while she framed her timeless features with loose curls in her brunette bob.

On her arm, Shirvo, 45, looked handsome in a navy suit and white shirt, paired with a light blue tie.

Just hours earlier, 41-year-old Edwina thanked Natalie for encouraging her to get tested for cancer and ultimately discovering she was sick.

Sunrise star Natalie Barr, 56, (right) put on a brave face after work as she stepped out with co-host Matt ‘Shirvo’ Shirvington, 45, (left) amid colleague Edwina Bartholomew’s battle with cancer

The TV star had to hold back tears on Friday’s Sunrise show and confessed: ‘I’ve been diagnosed with cancer.

“That’s a shock to say and a hard thing to say,” she continued, her voice breaking with emotion.

“It’s a very good kind. It’s called chronic myeloid leukemia. It can be treated with a daily tablet. If I can take care of myself, I’ll be absolutely fine.”

Chronic myeloid leukemia, a form of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow, can be treated but can become very serious if left untreated.

Edwina said it was thanks to her co-star Natalie that she was diagnosed so quickly.

Just hours earlier, the breakfast show presenter was seen clinging to Edwina, 41, (left) as she tearfully announced her shocking diagnosis live on the radio

Now the Seven star has appeared at the Sydney Everest Carnival Long Lunch in Randwick on Friday, looking gorgeous in baby blue

Natalie was also shocked when she was diagnosed with skin cancer on her nose in June. She spoke openly about it on the Sunrise program.

“I had a pimple on my nose that wouldn’t go away and I think it had been a few years since I had my skin checked, so I went to the dermatologist,” Natalie said.

“He said it was skin cancer — this little dot on my nose. The good thing is I got it really early and there’s not much treatment.”

Natalie shared her story to inspire others to get tested. Moments after the segment aired, Edwina picked up her phone and booked herself an appointment.

A month later, in July, Bartholomew received her shocking diagnosis. She decided to keep it to herself, telling only a few close friends at work.

Natalie slipped into a flowing blue chiffon cape which she draped over a matching jumpsuit while cinching her waist with a beige belt

The co-anchor accessorized with a pair of beige pumps, gold half-hoop earrings, and a baby blue fascinator

“I feel very, very happy and I wanted to share this with you for a couple of reasons,” Edwina finally told Sunrise viewers on Friday.

‘First of all, because everyone here at home and here has been there for all the wonderful moments, for the engagements, and the weddings and the babies, for all of us. It felt good to share this with you too.

“Many of you have been in similar situations or much, much worse situations and have come out stronger… and more resilient. That is exactly what I plan to do.”

Edwina said she also wanted to share her sad news because she wanted to encourage others to get tested.

Natalie looked radiant with a tanned eye and a nude lip while she framed her timeless features with loose curls in her brunette bob

“Especially for moms who are always taking care of everyone else, take care of yourself. And just go see your doctor,” she said.

She thanked all her fellow cast members for their support, specifically mentioning Natalie “for constantly checking in and [providing] all meals too’.

Edwina then nodded to her colleagues Monique Wright and Sally Bowrey ‘who had rearranged their family commitments so that I could take care of mine’.

After thanking her bosses at Sunrise, Edwina revealed that she will be “taking September off” and then reducing her work at Sunrise to a few days a week.

What is Chronic Myeloid Leukemia?

According to the Leukemia FoundationChronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) is a rare form of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow.

CML causes the bone marrow to produce too many white blood cells called granulocytes.

These cells, also called leukaemic blasts, crowd the bone marrow and disrupt the production of normal blood cells.

The cells also ‘flow’ out of the bone marrow and circulate through the body via the bloodstream.

Approximately 330 Australians are diagnosed with CML each year, which is just 0.03 percent of all cancers diagnosed.

CML can occur at any age, but is much more common in people over 40, accounting for nearly 70 percent of all diagnoses.

It is also more common in men than women.

CML usually develops gradually in the early stages, with the disease progressing slowly through three phases: chronic, accelerated, and blast, over weeks or months.

In more than 90 percent of people, the disease is diagnosed in the early chronic phase, when blood counts remain relatively stable and the percentage of blast cells in the blood and bone marrow is typically five percent or less.

Most people show few to no bothersome symptoms of their disease during the chronic phase.

In only five percent of cases does CML progress from a relatively stable disease to a more rapidly progressing disease.

In this accelerated phase, the number of blast cells in the bone marrow and blood may increase.

If accelerated phase CML is not treated, it can develop into blast phase CML. However, the chance of developing into a rapidly progressive disease similar to acute leukemia is usually less than 5 percent.

In patients who respond positively to drug therapy, the risk is reduced to only one percent.

About two-thirds of blast-phase CML cases progress to a disease resembling acute myeloid leukemia, while the remainder progress to a disease resembling acute lymphocytic leukemia.

Although treatment largely depends on the stage of the disease, age and health, most patients with CML are treated with drugs called tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs).

These drugs block the activity of an enzyme called bcr-abl, which prevents the growth and proliferation of these leukemic cells.