Amanda Holden says colleague Jamie Theakston is undergoing speech therapy, following his stage one laryngeal cancer diagnosis. The 53-year-old TV and radio veteran Theakston is remaining positive and has his sights set on an October return to the airwaves.
Britain’s Got Talent’s judge Holden, also 53, announced on ITV’s Good Morning Britain (GMB) that we might hear Theakston back on air as soon as November. “The good news is with Jamie is that it was stage one, and he’s going to be absolutely fine,” she said.
“I think the biggest challenge he faces now is with a voice and a speech therapist to get his voice back. So we are keeping everything crossed that he’ll be with us, at least in November, I reckon, or for Christmas.”
During her GMB appearance on Monday, Holden also talked about kicking off her ‘Big Ride To Work’ challenge a daunting five-day cycle from her mothers home in Cornwall all the way to the London based Heart studios.
She said: “He (Theakston) always used to sit in the studio and do none of this. So now he’s sat at home doing none of this.”
“Oh my gosh, we miss him so much,” she added. Laryngeal cancer affects the larynx, according to the NHS website, and symptoms include pain when swallowing, a lump or swelling in the neck and a persistent sore throat.
Before he announced his diagnosis, Theakston thanked radio listeners who had noticed a difference in his voice, which prompted him to get it checked. Singer and radio presenter Emma Bunton and BBC TV and radio presenter Amol Rajan were among the famous faces who wished the radio presenter well after he announced that a biopsy had identified cancer.
Theakston has been a fixture on the airwaves and small screen over the years, having presented children’s show Live & Kicking alongside Zoe Ball and Top Of The Pops.