TV presenter Edwina Bartholomew has broken down in tears live on air after revealing she’s been diagnosed with cancer.
The 41-year-old is one of the hosts of the Australian breakfast programme Sunrise and was also previously the host of Dancing with the Stars and Australian Spartan.
However, in an emotional segment on Sunrise on Friday morning, the broadcaster told viewers she was undergoing treatment for chronic myeloid leukaemia.
‘Now, a personal story to finish the bulletin,’ she began following the 8am news wrap.
‘I have been diagnosed with cancer. That’s a shock to say, and hard to say. It is a really good kind. It is called chronic myeloid leukaemia. It can be treated with a daily tablet. If I can take care of myself I will be completely absolutely fine,’ she said, before breaking down in tears.
Edwina revealed she had first been diagnosed in July and now wanted to go public for ‘a couple of reasons’.
‘Firstly, because everyone at home has been here for all the wonderful times, for the engagements, and the weddings and the babies, for all of us. It felt right to share this with you too. Many of you have been in similar situations or much, much worse and come out the other side stronger…and more resilient. There’s exactly what I plan to do,’ she explained.
After pausing several times, she continued: ‘I thought I could keep it together and I will. Secondly, the reason I’m telling you is because after I turned 40, I made the decision to prioritise my health. I got a skin check after Nat had her scare. I had a mammogram after I had a few lumps – that came back all clear. I even had an eye check – that’s fine.
‘But my doctor sent me to get routine blood tests at the same time. One of those tests came back with levels out of whack.” She explained that prior to the blood test, she’d experienced no symptoms.’
She is now set to take some time off from the programme this month before returning a few days a week.
Edwina went on to reiterate she was feeling ‘very positive’ and ‘lucky’ about the prognosis and treatment options, before the segment ended with her co-hosts coming over and giving her a group hug.
‘My life expectancy doesn’t change. I just do need to take care of myself and rest. I have reacted really well to the medication so far, which is fantastic. I have had no side effects,’ she also explained.
What is chronic myeloid leukaemia?
Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) is a rare type of cancer that affects the bone marrow and white blood cells.
It’s caused by a chromosome mutation that occurs spontaneously and causes bone marrow to produce too many white cells.
It mostly affects adults aged over 40 years.
Symptoms of CML are not always obvious and can be similar to other conditions, with some including feeling tired or weak, bleeding or bruising easily or for no reason and having aches and pains in your bones.
It can be diagnosed by examining samples of a patient’s blood and bone marrow but is confirmed with a bone marrow biopsy.
The cancer usually develops very slowly, with treatment sometimes not being needed right away. Instead it will depend on the phase of the CML, a patient’s age and their general health.
Treatments include targeted medicines called tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), chemotherapy or a stem cell transplant.
‘I was tired, but, hey, I get up at 3am. So, no symptoms at all. No warning signs. That’s really common with this kind of cancer, chronic myeloid leukaemia. You don’t have symptoms.
‘But if I hadn’t had prioritised my health and had the check, it would be a different situation. It is a lot to wrap your head around.’
She also urged viewers, particularly mothers who ‘always take care of everyone else’ to prioritise their own health and ‘just check in with your doctor’.
Soon after Edwina shared a post on Instagram thanking people for their support.
‘This past month has been such a strangely joyous time,’ she wrote, alongside photos of her two young children Molly and Tom and husband Neil Varcoe.
‘The day I got back from having my bone marrow biopsy, Tom insisted on taking the door snake to the park. It made me laugh so much to accompany him down the street with the damn thing flung over his shoulder. It was a lovely reminder that life goes on,’ she shared.
Concluding the post, Edwina said she had been ‘ocean swimming, dreaming up plans and handing out a lot of hugs’.
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