Edwina Bartholomew has admitted that suffering from cancer could end up being “the best thing that has ever happened to her”, although it is still “too early” to say for sure.
The Sunrise star, 41, revealed she had been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), a type of blood and bone marrow cancer, live in September.
And this weekend she told him stellar magazine that the terrible news he received at his GP has brought nothing but “love” into his life.
“I think it’s too early to say it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me because we’ll see how things play out,” he told the publication.
‘But the most powerful thing that happened this year is finding out. I felt the extraordinary force of love from everyone, from everyone I have ever met.
The TV personality went on to say that her “phone absolutely lit up” when her ex-boyfriends, real estate agents, and her mortgage broker contacted her after revealing her diagnosis.
Edwina Bartholomew, 41 (pictured), has admitted that getting cancer could end up being “the best thing that ever happened to her”, although it is still “too early” to say for sure.
‘I really felt what it was like to be loved. And I learned what it is to love. So deeply. And realize what is so important to me. “I would never give him that back,” he added.
Elsewhere in the interview, Edwina also revealed that she has kept her cancer diagnosis a secret from her children Molly, four, and Tom, two.
The presenter, who shares her children with husband Neil Varcoe, said she feels her children are simply too young to understand.
Edwina was first diagnosed in July and has since reduced her work on Channel Seven’s popular breakfast show Sunrise to focus on her health.
He has mostly stayed out of the spotlight in recent months, but has now given an update on his health and revealed whether he will return to his TV job full-time.
Speaking to Stellar’s Something To Talk About podcast, Edwina said it still comes as a “shock” to say she has leukemia after months of processing the difficult diagnosis.
She said she feels very lucky that they caught the cancer early and assured her fans that she is doing “very well” and has had “fantastic” test results so far.
Edwina said the diagnosis prompted her to start taking care of her health and she has now eliminated gluten, coffee, alcohol and sugar from her diet and exercised more.
The Sunrise star revealed that she had been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), a type of blood and bone marrow cancer, live in September.
She admitted that her diagnosis made her reconsider the way she thinks about life and realize she can’t keep waking up at 3am for her morning gig as host of Sunrise.
‘The go, go, go 24/7 approach I’ve had to life for the last 40 years had to change. “This has definitely been a big lesson for me: life can’t go on like this,” he continued.
“I had to tell work: ‘Now I can’t go back to work five days a week at 3 in the morning, it’s not something I can do.’
Edwina’s comments about scaling back her TV work come after she was rumored to be leaving her long-held role on breakfast show Seven.
He is said to be planning to move to the network’s Sydney newsroom when veteran newsreader Ann Sanders, 64, announces her retirement, according to news.com.au.
The proposed measure is said to make things easier for Edwina, who would no longer have to get up at 3 a.m. to get ready for work amid her health problems.
In September, Edwina revealed live that she had been diagnosed with cancer in a tearful admission.
‘I have been diagnosed with cancer. “It’s a shock and it’s hard to say,” he sadly told viewers.
And this weekend he told Stellar Magazine that the terrible news he received from his GP has brought nothing but “love” into his life.
‘He’s a really good guy. It’s called chronic myeloid leukemia. It can be treated with a daily pill. “If I can take care of myself, I’ll be completely fine,” she continued.
The veteran TV star began to cry before telling the audience: “I thought I could keep calm.”
Edwina went on to reveal that her co-star Natalie Barr had her to thank for being diagnosed as quickly as she had been.
Nat had her own cancer scare in June, after a routine skin test discovered skin cancer on her nose, convincing Edwina to undergo a full medical check-up with her own doctors.
‘I had a mammogram after I had some lumps. That all came out clear. “I even had an eye exam,” he explained.
‘Alright. But my doctor sent me for routine blood tests at the same time, and one of those results came back with out-of-control levels.’
The Seven star found out about her shock diagnosis in July and kept it a secret from the public, telling only a few friends at work.
According to the Mayo Clinic, CML is a rare type of bone marrow cancer and progresses very slowly.
Advances in treatment have improved the prognosis for people with chronic myeloid leukemia, and most people diagnosed are able to achieve remission and live many years.
Edwina opened up to this week’s issue of Stellar Magazine