Nick Owen has spoken of the importance of more men getting tested for prostate cancer as he revealed the difficulties he faced in telling his sons about his own diagnosis.
The 76-year-old former breakfast TV host, who shared the TV-am sofa with Anne Diamond, confirmed he was battling “extensive” and “aggressive” prostate cancer in August, and has since been successfully treated.
One in eight men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime. Statistics from cancer care specialist GenesisCare show 79% initially keep silent about symptoms, with one in 10 taking over six months to voice their concern, if they ever do.Owen - who has four adult children, two of them boys - said telling his offspring of his condition was “emotional”, but that it had to be done as he wanted them to be aware of the potentially hereditary illness and its warning signs.
Appearing on the Deadly Silent Podcast, he explained: “I’ve been through the middle of it. And I realised that the sooner you get seen the better.
“We had an MRI, there was a hint there was something going on. Then I had a biopsy. And that would tell us that it was really nasty and aggressive. And we need to do something quickly.
“Telling my children was difficult. I’ve got four children, three are our boys, two in their forties and one in their late thirties, and it was quite emotional.'
He added: “Also, as far as the boys [Andy, Tim and Chris] are concerned, it’s a warning because it can be a hereditary thing.
“I’m very keen for my boys to be extremely on the case. I’ll work on them to go earlier than 50, to be honest, to have the PSA tests. And the message has to be if you have got any hint of a worry, get someone to look at it.”
