Jamie Theakston went to a doctor after fans raised concerns about a change in his voice on his radio show, weeks before he was diagnosed with throat cancer.
The Heart FM star, 53, revealed her cancer diagnosis on Tuesday, after sharing that viewers first noticed there was something not quite right with her voice.
In an Instagram post on September 1, Jamie shared He had gotten himself checked after some of his listeners noticed that something was wrong with his voice.
She added that doctors learned there was a “lesion on her vocal cords,” which they removed, but just two weeks later, she was told she had stage one laryngeal cancer.
Jamie, who is married to Sophie Siegle, wrote on Instagram at the time: ‘Well some of you listeners have noticed my voice hasn’t been sounding right these past few weeks. I have to thank you.
Jamie Theakston went to the doctor after fans raised concerns about his voice, weeks before he was diagnosed with throat cancer (pictured in a Heart DM clip with Zoe Hardman)
The Heart FM star revealed her diagnosis on Tuesday, after sharing that viewers first noticed there was something wrong with her voice over the summer.
In an Instagram post on September 1, Jamie shared that she had gotten a checkup after some of her listeners noticed something wasn’t right with her voice.
“I got it checked out. The doctors found a lesion on my vocal cords which they removed this weekend. Thanks for all the kind messages. I’ll be back on my feet soon. In the meantime…” she ended the post with a zipper mouth emoji.
Previous posts on Heart FM’s Instagram account showed fans expressing concern about Jamie’s voice, with one comment beneath a clip from August 22 reading: “Jamie you need to sort out your throat problem.”
Since posting, Jamie has been absent from his presenting role on Heart FM and on Tuesday shared that following a biopsy, doctors have told him he has stage one throat cancer.
He said: ‘Hi friends, as you may know, I recently had surgery to remove a lesion on my vocal cords.
“The biopsy has identified that it is stage 1 laryngeal cancer. So I have cancer, but cancer does not have me. The prognosis is very positive and I look forward to being with you again in October.
‘Until then, I’ve been told to give my voice a rest and leave you in the more capable hands of JK and Amanda.
‘A huge thank you to them and the entire Global family who have supported us incredibly.
‘Be thankful for this day, and when I see you again, I’ll have a great story to tell you.’
Previous posts on Heart FM’s Instagram showed fans expressing concern about Jamie’s voice, with one comment beneath a clip reading: ‘Jamie you need to sort your throat problem out.’
According to the NHS, symptoms of laryngeal cancer include a change in your voice, such as sounding hoarse, pain when swallowing, a lump or swelling in your neck, a prolonged cough or shortness of breath, a sore throat or persistent earache, and in more severe cases, difficulty breathing.
In the UK, there are more than 2,000 new cases of laryngeal cancer each year. The disease is most common in people over 60 years of age and is more common in men than in women.
Shortly after Jamie’s news broke, his Heart Breakfast co-host Amanda Holden wrote: ‘Our wonderful @jamie.theakston has been diagnosed with stage 1 laryngeal cancer.
“His prognosis is very good and he has an amazing team around him. Jamie. We love you and miss you and hope to see you very soon.
‘With @sophietheakstonjewellery, your beautiful children, us and the entire nation with you… YOU WILL GET THROUGH THIS .’
Since his post, Jamie has been absent from his presenting role on Heart FM and on Tuesday shared that following a biopsy, doctors have told him he has stage one throat cancer.
Jamie first rose to fame in the mid-90s, becoming known for presenting the children’s show Live & Kicking alongside Zoe Ball from 1996, before moving on to present the popular music show Top of the Pops in 1999.
After becoming a household name, the star’s television career continued with major presenting stints on the BBC including music quiz show A Question Of Pop, coverage of Glastonbury and The Millennium.
He soon moved to Channel 4, where he reunited with Zoe to present The Priory (a mix of celebrity talk, gossip and games) for three successful series.
Jamie’s other television credits include The Games, The People’s Quiz, Beg Borrow or Steal and With A Little Help From My Friends.
Jamie is also now known for his impressive radio career, with the star currently fronting his national Heart FM breakfast show alongside Amanda.
His radio career saw him start over at Radio 5 Live, before moving to BBC Radio 1 in 1999 to present the Sunday Lunch programme.