
Dermot Murnaghan ‘fell through the gaps' with stage four cancer diagnosis
Speaking at an event for Prostate Cancer UK, the broadcaster shared his diagnosis journey and urged men to get tested.
He said: 'For years I thought 'that will do me' I'm getting tested basically once a year or every couple of years.
'It never occurred to me that they weren't testing for PSA (prostate-specific antigen) and I never went to my GP because I was getting other tests privately through the production company.
'So that's how I fell through the gaps and that's how I had a massive wake-up call and want to share the message.'
Stage four prostate cancer can mean that the cancer has spread into different parts of the body including nearby body organs, such as the back passage or bladder, and other parts of the body outside the pelvis, such as the bones, lungs or liver, according to the Cancer Research UK website.
About one in eight men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime, according to the charity Prostate Cancer UK, however, there currently are no screening programmes for men to get tested.
One option is a PSA blood test which checks the level of prostate-specific antigens in the blood. A high reading may be a sign of a prostate condition.
NHS guidance says these tests are not routinely used as they are not reliable, but men over 50 can ask GPs for one.
Murnaghan added: 'You can get to the stage I have with no symptoms.
'Get the test, insist on the test. You can insist on the test if you are in a high-risk group and under 50. If you are not, I'd still get the test at 50.
'Go to your GP and they say you don't need it but say 'but I want it'. It is your right to have it. Just keep doing that every year or couple of years. Once you've got that marker where your PSA is, keep monitoring it.
'The earlier you find prostate cancer the easier it is to treat, so check your risk in just 30 seconds with Prostate Cancer UK's online risk checker to see if you are at risk and what you can choose to do about it.'
The presenter also shared an update on his treatment, adding that 'there is a lot of hope' with new trials and options available.
He said: 'In terms of the treatments for the stage I'm at, they are a myriad. What's astonishing is just how fast things are developing, even at last stage advanced prostate cancer, the treatment I'm on, the programme that I've been getting only really was approved within the last couple of years.
'There is a lot of hope out there, there's a lot going on, there's a lot of advice and a lot of things happening there. So as a sufferer and a non-medical person my advice is, ask questions. There are always different ways of doing things, slightly, but just keep asking those questions about where you are, what there is available or even if perhaps you could access one of those clinical trials yourself.'
The broadcaster will join Sir Chris Hoy's fundraising charity bike ride, Tour de 4, to raise awareness and funds for chancer charities across the UK.
The Olympian announced he had a terminal diagnosis for prostate cancer in October 2024.
Murnaghan added: 'I'm really proud to be supporting Prostate Cancer UK and taking part in Sir Chris Hoy's fundraising event, the Tour de 4. This groundbreaking cycling challenge is raising vital funds for cancer charities and changing the conversation.
'I'll be riding in Glasgow this September alongside some incredible participants, all to raise awareness and help save men's lives. Prostate Cancer UK means a lot to me and I'd love for you to get involved and show your support. Together we can make a real difference.'

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mirror
19 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
I'm A Celebrity star has 'a lifetime of medication' ahead as he shares tumour update
Singer and former I'm A Celebrity star Russell Watson has shared an update on his health in a candid Good Morning Britain chat after undergoing surgery for two brain tumours I'm A Me Out of Here! alumni Russell Watson has shared a health update after battling two brain tumours. The singer, who competed on the 2020 series of I'm A Celeb, appeared on ITV's Good Morning Britain today to chat about his honorary doctorate from the University of Greater Manchester. The star was given the degree at a ceremony for students from the School of Health, Science and Society, during which he shared how his health battles had "graphically highlighted" to him the "amazing job done by staff in our NHS". Russell, 58, was diagnosed with his first brain tumour in 2005 after experiencing headaches and underwent brain surgery for a benign brain tumour. A second brain tumour was found in 2007 after an MRI scan showed it had regrown and caused bleeding into his brain. The singer required emergency surgery and underwent extensive radiotherapy afterwards. When asked by presenter Charlotte Hawkins about his health on today's programme, Russell said: "It's good. It's very good. I feel good, I feel strong." He added: "I'll be on a lifetime of medication - that's one of the by products of what happened to me. But I'm just happy to be here. I have a wonderful life, I'm very very lucky. I've been 25 years in the industry. Having lasted this long is a great thing." Earlier this year, Russell shared the chilling words he received from doctors shortly after being diagnosed with his second brain tumour. He told The Guardian: "After surgery, I was told that, even healthy and fit, I would no longer perform like my younger self – something that I refused to accept. "I may not be the wagging-tailed puppy-dog any more, but my voice is in the best shape it's been in, and I think I look in pretty good shape as well. My life has been this cacophony of incredible highs and disastrous lows, but it's made me the person I am today." According to the NHS, those suffering with a brain tumour can have a number of different symptoms depending on where in the brain the tumour is found. Common symptoms include headaches, seizures, persistently feeling sick (nausea), being sick (vomiting) and drowsiness.


Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
Anne Nolan, 74, emotional about 'sisters who didn't survive'
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Anne Nolan has spoken about losing her late sisters as she opens up about becoming cancer-free. Appearing on Good Morning Britain on Monday morning, Anne shared the exciting news that she is officially cancer-free after being diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time in 2020. The former singer from The Nolans told Ed Balls and Charlotte Hawkins that after hearing the good news, she immediately thought of her sisters who had died. Linda Nolan died in January at the age of 65, and Bernie Nolan died in 2013 at the age of 52, both from breast cancer. 'It's been very traumatic. When I received the letter a few weeks ago, I picked it up, and it said NHS, and I thought, 'Oh I don't want to know, I'm not sure if I want to know if it's bad news'. 'And I put it aside for about ten minutes, and after a while, my logical brain kicked in and said, 'You have to find out, you need to know. 'I opened it and it was all good news, and I had a bit of a weep at the beginning. I feel lucky, blessed, relieved, and then emotional thinking about my sisters having gone through the same thing but not surviving.' She then spoke about her own cancer journey, which has been going on for five years. 'I rang the bell five years ago after I finished my chemo, but then you have another five years before you're actually told that the cancer is no, it hasn't come back. 'Yeah, I had a mammogram every year for five years, and the last one was in May this year. But I did think about Linda at the time and Bernie as well. Bernie is like Bernie has been gone now about 12 years. She added that she's sure Linda is looking down on her, thinking 'thank goodness.' She reflected that although she and Linda had been diagnosed with cancer around the same time, Linda did not survive the ordeal. 'Linda received her diagnosis about a week after me, actually, and we went through it together during Covid.' She then reminisced on this time together: 'Linda and I were there to support each other. We had our chemo together. She was the one who called us the chemo sisters. She was always in a good mood, always happy and kept me going because I had, I had a bad time during my chemo, and it was great to have her support. 'And then when her cancer spread, she didn't survive.' This interview comes after the star announced the news publicly just a few days ago. On social media, she shared a long message with fans: 'Now, five years later, I'm overjoyed to share that my latest results show I am cancer free.' In an interview with The Mirror, she shared that she immediately thought of her sisters who had died from cancer. More Trending 'Although I was absolutely thrilled, I did think about them,' she said. 'I didn't feel guilty because it's nothing to do with me but I did feel sad that they weren't as lucky as I was. It's an emotional thing for me to think about them not surviving and then I did survive. But that's just the luck of the draw.' She added that she now is ready to seize life and 'grab everything with both hands.' 'When you've had a life-threatening disease and you've lost two sisters then it brings it all to the forefront,' she said. 'It makes you value life. You grab everything with both hands. Whenever I'm asked to do something, I say yes straight away. When you come through it and you're at the other end and you think, well I didn't die and I'm alive and I'm gonna live every day.' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. View More » MORE: I had a Commodore Amiga as a kid and this is not the gaming future I imagined – Reader's Feature MORE: Legendary TV star 'helps police arrest real-life criminal' MORE: Lego Game Boy is so accurate even the advert is the same


The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
NHS nurses set to join doctors' miserable 5-day walk out after ‘rejecting latest pay deal'
NURSES are poised to reject a pay rise from the Government- paving the way for fresh NHS strike chaos. The Royal College of Nursing is understood to have 'overwhelmingly' voted down the 3.6 per cent offer in an indicative ballot, warning it will be 'entirely swallowed up by inflation'. 2 2 But while the majority backed action, turnout fell short of the 50 per cent legal threshold needed to trigger a walkout. It means more disruption may still be on the cards if the union pushes for a full vote. A union spokesman said: 'The results will be announced to our members later this week. As the largest part of the NHS workforce, nursing staff do not feel valued and the government must urgently begin to turn that around.' It comes as thousands of resident doctors in England, previously known as junior doctors, kicked off a five-day strike on Friday after pay talks between the Government and the British Medical Association collapsed. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said disruption to the NHS was not possible to eliminate but insisted it was being kept to a minimum. The RCN represents hundreds of thousands of frontline nurses across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland's nurses have already accepted a separate two-year deal worth 8 per cent, keeping them the best-paid in the UK. Nurses were offered less than almost every other public sector group this year. Doctors, teachers, armed forces and prison officers are all getting more. RCN boss Prof Nicola Ranger has led calls for fairer pay and warned that ministers are ignoring a growing crisis in the profession. She fumed last month: 'Nursing is an incredible career, but despite being the most valued profession by the public we continue to be weighted to the bottom of the NHS pay scale.' Speaking at a global conference in Helsinki, she added: 'I'm with nurses from around the world asking why it is our ministers in the UK who have once again put nursing at the back of the queue when it comes to pay.' More than 26,000 nurse roles are currently vacant, with student recruitment collapsing and resignations 'skyrocketing', the union says. Nurses made history in winter 2022-23 by walking out for the first time ever - holding four separate two-day strikes. But the RCN failed to secure a new strike mandate in 2023 after a re-ballot missed the 50 per cent turnout threshold. Members have now rejected three government offers in a row: 5 per cent in 2023-24, 5.5 per cent last year, and now 3.6 per cent for 2025.