James Whale gives update on ‘very difficult' situation amid terminal cancer diagnosis
Radio presenter James Whale has said that his situation is 'very, very difficult', after being diagnosed with terminal cancer.
The 74-year-old broadcaster has been living with stage four kidney cancer for the past five years, telling listeners in May that he had stopped treatment and was 'at the end of [his] cancer journey'.
During Friday's (6 June) episode of his series James Whale Unleashed, broadcast on talkRADIO and TalkTV, Whale addressed a guest whose husband had died of cancer.
'Until very recently, everything was quite normal for me, everything was fine, and then you do get to a stage like I am now, and things get to be very, very difficult,' said Whale.
'To anybody else who is in the final stages of cancer, you have my sympathy. I know exactly what you're going through. I do know, I look basically okay, I get told I look OK – it's all make-up.'
Whale has been a fixture of British radio and TV for five decades and was awarded an MBE for his services to broadcasting and to charity in the 2024 New Year Honours List.
He was first diagnosed with cancer in 2000, with treatment requiring him to remove one of his kidneys. Whale's first wife, Melinda Maxted, died of lung cancer in 2018.
In 2020, Whale revealed that his own cancer had returned in his kidney, spine, brain and lungs.
He spoke about his condition last month on air, suggesting that he intended to continue work as a radio and TV host for 'another few months'.
'I'm at the end of my cancer journey,' he said, alongside Talk co-host Ash Gould. 'There is no treatment I can have anymore. I'm hoping to go on for another few months, but as soon as I can't do the show anymore, I won't.'
'I can't tell you how grateful I am to Talk to actually let me on the air and sit next to Ash, which is a real pain in the butt, but I've been doing it for 25 years!'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wall Street Journal
35 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
Jason Isaacs on the Decision That Saved His Life
Jason Isaacs, 62, is a British actor best known for the 'Harry Potter' film series, and TV's 'Star Trek: Discovery' and 'The White Lotus.' He currently co-stars in the biographical drama film 'Words of War.' He spoke with Marc Myers. Because I have an English accent, Americans often assume I have an expansive knowledge of culture, which is hilarious. I went to good schools, but all my family ever did was watch TV.
Vogue
35 minutes ago
- Vogue
Even Kate Middleton Can't Resist a Chunky Chain Necklace
Everyone loves a chain necklace. From all the guys still trying to emulate Paul Mescal in Normal People to celebs like Dua Lipa and Gigi Hadid regularly stacking silver around the collarbone, the classic chain is truly eternal (I'm actually wearing one right now). Next up on the chain train? Kate Middleton, of course, who was pictured at the V&A East Storehouse wearing a chunky gold chain, a royal blue suit with power shoulders and classic stiletto pumps. I'm also very here for the mid-rise trousers and belt combo. The Princess Of Wales was in Hackney Wick—yes, Hackney Wick, the area of London where all the zine start-ups and club nights are—to take a look around the recently opened public space, in which thousands of cultural artefacts are currently being stored. By the looks of things, she enjoyed herself, as she spent quite a lot of the time smiling, laughing and shaking hands with the various officials of the Storehouse. As for the chain itself, it's a 'Portrait' necklace with a T-bar clasp from New York-based jewelry brand Laura Lombardi, which she's worn a few times since 2022. It's actually relatively affordable—it's currently available on Ssense for $105. And it's also eco-friendly, made from recycled brass and vintage dead stock materials. Quite a modern look from the princess, who has in past favored classic heirlooms over contemporary designs. With that chain, though? She looks right at home in East London.
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Taylor Swift's Debut Album Reaches A New Peak Almost 20 Years Later
Taylor Swift's 2006 debut returns to four U.K. charts following her announcement that she now owns ... More the masters to her first six albums, reaching a new peak on two lists. Taylor Swift (Photo by Jason Squires/WireImage) Taylor Swift is having a landmark week on charts around the world after revealing she has finally acquired the rights to her first six albums. For years, Swift has been steadily re-recording and re-releasing her early catalog in an effort to regain control of her work. Many fans have supported that campaign by deliberately avoiding streaming and purchasing the original versions of the projects that initially made her a star. Now that she officially owns the masters to those albums, Swift's entire catalog — especially the first half-dozen studio LPS — is experiencing a renewed surge. One release in particular, Taylor Swift, the self-titled debut that launched her career, is suddenly back in the spotlight. The country-pop singer's 2006 debut appears on four charts in the United Kingdom this week, reentering three of them after being absent just days ago. It becomes a strong seller again as fans revisit the only two albums from that era Swift has yet to re-release, Taylor Swift and Reputation. Although Swift revealed the updated version of Taylor Swift is finished, she hasn't shared it with the world yet, but that has no longer stopped fans from celebrating the original. The self-titled affair breaks into the top 10 on the Official Album Downloads chart for the very first time this week, as it soars to a new peak of No. 6. Previously, it had only reached as high as No. 40, and that was back in March 2009. The jump grants Swift her milestone fifteenth top 10 hit on the U.K. downloads tally. Taylor Swift also reaches a new high on the Official Albums Sales chart in the U.K., climbing to No. 29. The record had not placed on the sales ranking in the previous frame, and this moment marks only the second time it's broken into the top 40 on the list of the top-selling titles in the country. Its prior best was No. 34, which was set just last summer — nearly two decades after its original release. On the Official Physical Albums chart, the debut reenters at No. 42, though it doesn't set a new peak on that roster. Perhaps most notably, Taylor Swift rockets from No. 6 to No. 2 on the Official Country Artists Albums chart, placing Swift just one spot away from claiming yet another week at No. 1. She's held back from the summit by I'm the Problem by Morgan Wallen, which refuses to budge.
