BBC star and food critic Giles Coren has revealed he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The heartbreaking news was announced on Friday, with Giles sharing that he received the diagnosis at 9.30am on Wednesday this week.
In his column for The Times, he explained that he first got tested a few years ago after celebrities Stephen Fry and Bill Turnbull publicly shared their own diagnoses. Giles’ prostate-specific antigen test result came back as four, which is considered ‘abnormal and facing imminent death’.
His doctor described his prostate cancer as a ‘slow cancer’ that ‘all men get’ if they live long enough. Despite an inconclusive MRI scan, Giles refused a biopsy.
However, he later agreed to an examination at the Royal Free Hospital in North London after his score increased to six and then seven from the original four. Doctors found less than a millimetre of cancer in just three of the 21 samples he provided.
Described as a malignant tumour, Giles’ cancer will not require treatment for now but will be monitored for growth. Giles, who has been a critic for The Times since 2002 and was named Food and Drink Writer of the Year at the British Press Awards in 2005, is also known for presenting Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby, reports the Mirror.
Giles Coren, born in Paddington, is the sole son of the renowned journalist and humorist Alan Coren, and the older brother to comedian and television ace Victoria Coren Mitchell. Prostate Cancer UK warns that 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime.
The organisation’s website details: “The cancer mainly affects men over 50, and your risk increases with age. The risk is even higher for black men and men with a family history of prostate cancer.”
In England alone, more than 44,000 cases are recorded annually, with the illness claiming over 10,000 lives each year; meanwhile, upwards of 440,000 men are currently living with or have overcome prostate cancer in the country. Those impacted by these revelations can find advice and support through Macmillan Cancer Support and Prostate Cancer UK.