‘I’ll be a mess for a very long time’: Paul Burrell, 64, speaks out about getting ‘so emotional’ after undergoing prostate cancer treatment following a ‘life-changing’ diagnosis
Paul Burrell will burst into tears on Monday’s Lorraine episode as he speaks out about his devastating cancer diagnosis.
The former British royal, 64, admits he is scared and says he could be ‘a mess for a very long time’.
I used to be a celebrity… Get me out of here! campmate Paul – who used to work for and was a confidante of the late Princess Diana – was diagnosed with prostate cancer last summer.
He previously said he fears he will be dead at the end of the year, but as he prepares to begin his treatment for the disease, Paul will be getting emotional on ITV this week.
According to the Mirrorhe said: ‘I’m worried because I don’t know what to expect and I don’t know what the outcome will be,’ the late Queen’s ex-soldier said of his meeting at Manchester’s Christie Hospital admitted it was ‘a lot to record’.
Heartbreaking: Paul Burrell, 64, will burst into tears on Monday’s Lorraine episode as he speaks out about his devastating cancer diagnosis
Paul will undergo a two-hour surgery to inject radium into his prostate.
He will recover for a week before undergoing radiation therapy three weeks later.
The reality star hopes that he will be released after that round of treatment.
However, he said he fears the “battle with the hormone treatment” which aims to reduce the prostate gland and cancer.
He said, ‘I’m getting so emotional with the hormone therapy, which she told me to continue after surgery.
“I’m going to be a mess for a very long time. But you have to trade certain things to get to a point of life.’
Paul previously said he fears he may not be alive by the end of the year after being diagnosed with prostate cancer last summer.
He said, ‘I’m tired, I’m on hormone therapy, it’s robbing me of my testosterone, so my beard isn’t growing as it should, I’m tired and I’m getting hot flashes.
Distraught: Former British royal admits he’s scared and says he could be ‘a mess’ for a very long time after treatment
“I’m on an emotional educational rollercoaster and don’t know where I’ll be…
“Thinking ‘Will I be here next year (at Christmas)?” … I told my boys and they said, ‘Dad, we need to spend more time with you.’
Paul explained that he went for a medical last year and had a ‘full MOT’, with a PSA test – which can detect prostate cancer – showing ‘rather unusual’ levels, prompting his GM to send him for an MRI scan, which cast a shadow on his prostate.
Although he feels “so tired,” he believes he was lucky to have been caught early and wants to bring awareness to the disease.
At an earlier performance in Lorraine, he said, “At the same time, you realize there are thousands of men like me who don’t have symptoms and don’t know they have them.
“I was really lucky that they caught it early. I don’t think men are very good at visiting the doctor – they need a little push.’
He has to have surgery to remove the prostate gland.
Paul said, “My father days are over. I don’t want any more kids, I have two great boys, that’s fine.
“But not everything is over because you lose your dejection. It can stay as good as it once was in the bedroom.
“You can still have a good sex life, but you have to talk about it. Talk about it, don’t hide it.’