Radio 1 DJ Adele Roberts has bowel cancer

BBC Radio 1 presenter Adele Roberts has announced that she will undergo surgery for bowel cancer.

Roberts, 42, who hosts Weekend Breakfast, said she was diagnosed earlier this month and would be operated on Monday to remove a tumor.

The former Big Brother star missed both of his radio shows this weekend.

Radio 1 said it is sending “all our love and support” to the presenter and her girlfriend Kate Holderness “in this very difficult time”.

“Everyone at Radio 1, along with millions of listeners, wish her a speedy recovery and we look forward to welcoming Adele soon on the air,” the note added.

The radio DJ, from Southport, Merseyside, revealed his news in a post on Instagram, saying he had sought medical advice after struggling with his digestion “for a while”.

He wrote: “It all happened so fast and I am so sorry to post something like this here, but I hope it helps anyone who may be worried or suffer in silence.

“As I have learned in recent weeks, there is no ‘normality’ with cancer. Unfortunately it can affect anyone, at any age, at any time. It does not discriminate. Early detection can save your life.”

He added: “I will have surgery (Monday) to remove the tumor and then see if I need further treatment or if the cancer has spread.

“So far the outlook is positive and I feel so lucky to be able to be cured. It’s just the beginning of my journey, but I’ll give everything I have.”

In his post, he concluded by saying that he didn’t know he was going to write something like this.

“The hardest thing wasn’t even finding out I had cancer, it was telling my family. It broke my heart,” she said.

“If you know any of them, please take care of them for me until I can see them again. Especially my Katie. I worry about her being alone while I’m away.”

Roberts rose to fame after appearing in the third series of Channel 4’s Big Brother series in 2002. That year’s contestants included ITV’s This Morning host Alison Hammond and Jade Goody, who died in 2009 after being diagnosed with cervical cancer.

She joined the BBC in 2012 as part of the Radio 1 Xtra team, before moving to Radio 1 in 2015 to host the Early Breakfast Show. It took over the Weekend Breakfast program earlier this year.

She also appeared on ITV’s I’m a Celebrity in 2019, becoming the first contestant to be eliminated from the jungle.

Most people with these symptoms do not have bowel cancer, but the NHS advice is to see your GP if you have one or more symptoms and they have persisted for more than four weeks.

And if you, or someone you know, have been stricken with cancer, information and support can be found on the BBC’s Action Line page.

Source: NHS UK