Sky Sports presenter Jo Wilson has revealed she has been diagnosed with stage three cervical cancer after delaying her routine smear test.
The TV host, 37, is undergoing six weeks of chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment after receiving her diagnosis this summer, already losing a stone in weight due to its gruelling impact on her body.
Jo, who is mum to 23-month-old daughter Mabel, went for a routine smear test in June, with further tests showing the cervical cancer had spread to two of her lymph nodes.
She had been due to get a routine smear test while pregnant almost two years ago but postponed it, with the NHS website saying pregnant women won't usually need to have cervical screening until at least 12 weeks after giving birth as pregnancy can make it harder to get clear results (mums-to-be are urged to communicate with their GP about their own situation).
Then, after a traumatic forceps birth in September 2020 where both mother and baby battled sepsis, Jo delayed getting the test. "I was worried about having a smear after Mabel’s traumatic birth," she told OK! Magazine. "I ended up with forceps and we both caught sepsis. I just didn’t want to be prodded in that area."
But after experiencing extreme fatigue and irregular periods, Jo booked a private smear test 19 months after becoming a mum. "The gynaecologist said 'this doesn’t feel normal to me. I think there’s a possibility it could be cancer'," she explained.
"I felt like I’d been punched in the stomach. I wasn’t expecting that. I’ve always been sporty, eaten well and taken care of my health. But it’s a disease that’s out of your control. You’re desperately hoping there’s a chance it might not be cancer."
The TV regular, who has hosted Sky Sports since 2015, broke down in tears to her husband Dan after doctors later gave her the prognosis, while she admits she also asked medics if she was going to die.
"I cried while a lovely nurse held my hand. Then I cried to Dan, and he was quite shocked because he didn’t really think it would be cancer.
"'You’re not going to die', [the doctor] reassured me. 'It’s very treatable, and it’s very curable'. I try to hold onto that, but there are no guarantees. The percentages are still a bit ropey. There’s something like a 70% success rate for this treatment. So I’ll take that.
"But you do still think there’s a 30% chance it won’t work. I try to believe everything else is in my favour, my age and I am fit. I must try to hang on to the positives."
She has taken the brave decision to share her diagnosis to try and encourage other women to attend their smear tests. "I’m a very private person so this was a huge decision for me to speak publicly, and I’m way out of my comfort zone," she added. "But if I can make just one woman book her smear test or go for a check-up after having a baby then it’s worth speaking out."
For more information about cervical cancer visit Jo’s Trust, the UK’s leading cervical cancer charity or call the helpline 0808 802 8000.
