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Susanna Reid's co-host Bill Turnbull shares rare update on battle with terminal cancer

Bill was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2017


bill
Bridie Wilkins
Senior Health & Fitness Writer
On 20 October 2021
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Former GMB and BBC Breakfast star Bill Turnbull, who hosted the shows alongside Susanna Reid, has shared an update on his battle with prostate cancer. He revealed he had the illness in March 2018, after being diagnosed the previous November, and is still living with it today.

SEE: Bill Turnbull reveals 'dark times' following incurable cancer diagnosis in BBC Breakfast return

A fan recently took to Twitter to share a video in which Bill spoke out about the importance of prostate checks for BBC One, and asked: "@billtu popped up on my Facebook memories today Bill… How are you doing?"

WATCH: Susanna Reid breaks down in tears on GMB

Bill replied: "Still here!" to which his follower concluded: "Fantastic. Thought I'd not seen you on the television for a while. Cheers Bill and all the best with everything."

Bill first opened up about his battle with prostate cancer on an episode of Good Morning Britain, when he shared that is was incurable, and had spread to his spine, pelvis, ribs, hips and legs.

MORE: Bill Turnbull 'overwhelmed with love' after revealing cancer diagnosis

STORY: Bill Turnbull reveals moment he told children he had cancer

In 2019, he told Prostate Cancer UK: "When you’re diagnosed with prostate cancer it can be a pretty scary moment. It was for me. Particularly because it had already spread to my bones and the long-term outlook wasn’t good at all. It was a big shock for me and for my family, and we had some pretty dark times. But luckily, I started treatment very quickly after my diagnosis."

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Now, Bill has a radioactive isotope injected into him once every six weeks. "It makes you so live, so to speak, that I have to sleep in a separate room for three days, no prolonged contact with small children or pregnant women for six days," he explained.

On another episode of GMB last year, he told Susanna Reid and Piers Morgan that he had come to terms with the idea of passing away.

"I've developed quite a healthy relationship with death, I feel very, very calm about it because I've given it a lot of thought. There's no way I'm going to imagine I can live forever, nor would I really want to."

Bill has been with his wife Sarah since 1988, and they share three children together: Henry, Will and Flora.

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