James Whale says he will be 'exceptionally lucky to make it to Christmas' as he celebrates 74th birthday with friends and family after terminal cancer diagnosis
James Whale admitted he will be 'exceptionally lucky to make it to Christmas ' as he celebrated his 74th birthday with friends and family at the weekend.
The broadcaster is battling stage four kidney cancer that has spread to his spine, brain and lungs, and had previously said Christmas 2023 could be his last after stopping treatment.
Joined by fellow radio host Lizzie Cundy and his wife Nadine, James gave a health update while enjoying some drinks in the sun.
Explaining that whilst he is 'feeling ok,' he admitted that it 'would be easier to have a heart attack' in a candid confession.
When asked by Lizzie how he was doing, he responded: 'I'm feeling ok. As people know I'm not about to die, but well, you never know do you.
'I have had all my treatment so I'm giving you the low down on it.'
James added: 'If I make it to Christmas I will be exceptionally lucky. Some times I think it will be easier just to have a heart attack and go.'
Last week he gave a devastating health update as he said he's 'at the end' of his cancer journey and there are 'no treatments left'.
Making the announcement on Monday, with his Talk co-host Ash Gould by his side, James shared that he wouldn't be on the airwaves much longer and that his show may soon come to an end.
He said: 'I'm at the end of my cancer journey. There is no treatment I can have anymore.'
He added: '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!'
James said his recent ill health had taken its toll on him due to a severe bout of flu which led to an intensive care stay.
Despite his health, James managed to joke: 'It might actually be helping me, you never know, so I don't let that cloud my judgment – but on the medication I am on, I'm all over the place.
'I'm hoping to go on for another few weeks, few months but as soon as I can't do the show anymore, I won't.'
Making the announcement on Monday, with his Talk co-host Ash Gould by his side, James shared that he wouldn't be on the airwaves much longer
Celebrity Big Brother star James spent Christmas in intensive care after being rushed to hospital amid his terminal cancer battle.
He was hospitalised with the flu and was later discharged from the ICU to recover at home.
His relieved wife, Nadine, 59, told fans at the time: 'After a worrying week I am happy to report that @THEJamesWhale is out of ICU and back at home, having batted off the Grim Reaper yet again.
'This time he tried with a bout of Influenza A, but without success. Our hero is home for NYE.'
James received an MBE for services to broadcasting and charity back in April 2024.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
19 minutes ago
- BBC News
Loneliness Awareness Week hopes to reduce stigma
A charity is aiming to raise awareness of loneliness by spreading the message it is not something to be ashamed Marmalade Trust's Loneliness Awareness Week Campaign starts on Monday and encourages people to take action to build social connections and reduce the stigma around an effort to spark conversation, a trail of 52 "chatty" benches has been set up in Marmalade Trust's founder Amy Perrin said loneliness was "a normal human emotion and signalled a need for social connection". Ms Perrin, who founded the charity in Bristol in 2017, said the Covid-19 pandemic brought greater public awareness to the issue of loneliness, but stigma remained. She also explained there were different types of loneliness."It's subjective and different for everybody, so you can have loads of friends and a support network but then feel loneliness within your relationship. "Or maybe you've got loads of friends and family but you don't have a partner so you miss those watching TV moments or coming back from work and having a cuppa together," she awareness week has grown from a local project in Bristol to a global movement.A range of events is planned across the UK, with more than 5,000 activities scheduled across the week. Among the events in Bristol are a panel discussion, the release of recent research on loneliness, wellbeing walks, a friendship-focused speed dating event and an interactive pub benches have been set up between the Harbourside and the Tobacco Factory, each with prompts to help spark conversation. Internationally, events include a Capitol Hill discussion in Washington in the US, an art gallery spread across 11 Estonian cities and a panel in Malaysia.
BBC News
28 minutes ago
- BBC News
St Helens mum's brain tumour found hours before her son's birth
A teacher from Merseyside said she only discovered she had a brain tumour a matter of hours before the birth of her Hayley Burrows suffered a seizure in her sleep while 35 weeks pregnant in April 2023, she was rushed to the Walton Centre in the 36-year-old, from Rainford near St Helens, had a second, more severe seizure while doctors were preparing to discharge her from hospital, Hayley had an MRI scan which revealed a large son Oliver was delivered via emergency Caesarean section while she was under general anaesthetic. Hayley, who works as a special needs teacher, said: "I don't remember meeting Oliver for the first time, which breaks my heart. "It wasn't until two days later that my memory started coming back. I've since been told the tumour was pressing on the memory part of my brain."Experts believe Hayley's meningioma - the most common form of adult primary brain tumour - had likely been growing undetected for more than a decade. Nine weeks after her son's birth, Hayley underwent surgery to remove her meningioma."Leaving Oliver that morning, not knowing if I'd see him again, absolutely broke me," she said."Until then, I'd been on autopilot but when it came time to say goodbye, the fear just flooded in. "Thankfully, the operation went as well as it possibly could have, but recovery was tough."After surgery, Hayley was unable to feed or change Oliver for several weeks. She was also unable to drive for 12 months and needed to be accompanied in case of further seizures."I felt like I'd missed the start of Oliver's life," said Hayley, whose son is now two years old."I was grieving that lost time while trying to heal physically and emotionally." Ashley McWilliams, from Brain Tumour Research, said: "Hayley's story is a powerful reminder of how brain tumours can go unnoticed for years and present with very sudden symptoms."According to the charity, brain tumours can affect people of all are responsible for more deaths of patients aged under 40 than any other form of 12,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with a primary brain tumour - of which there are more than 100 different types - each number of diagnoses has increased by 11% during the last decade. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
BBC News
29 minutes ago
- BBC News
Hartlepool dad with brain cancer searching for treatment
The family of a man with an inoperable brain tumour have raised more than £42,000 for a treatment they are not sure Trevor Jones, 41, from Hartlepool, was diagnosed with stage four glioblastoma after having multiple seizures on Christmas wife, Samantha Jones, 37, said he was a fit man who never smoked and rarely drank, but was ultimately given six to 12 months to even after two unsuccessful rounds of chemotherapy and what looks like no treatment options left, Mrs Jones said she was not giving up on her husband. The couple and their two sons, aged eight and 12, were staying at Center Parcs in Cumbria over Jones, who works as a teaching assistant, said it was "just a normal Christmas" with "batteries and chaos".But, after complaining of a belly ache, her husband collapsed on the bathroom floor a few hours later. Mr Jones had a seizure in the ambulance on his way to Cumberland Infirmary and another once he arrived. He was then placed into an induced was transferred to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough on Boxing Day, where he was woken up a few days later for most tests and eventually told the couple they thought Mr Jones had a brain tumour."That was a massive shock, I fainted," Mrs Jones said."Trevor, I don't know how he managed to take it all in, but he did."Following a tumour biopsy, it was revealed he had stage four glioblastoma and the couple were told he would have a possible six to 12 months to Jones said it was the worst day of their lives. Failed chemotherapy rounds Doctors believe Mr Jones' tumour could have been growing in his brain for years."You just can't believe something can be growing inside for so long and all of a sudden something triggers it when it's too late," his wife Jones, who works as a rigger at a power station, had very few he was tired, the couple always put that down to being parents. He also had bouts of sickness and two rounds of chemotherapy, an MRI showed the tumour had progressed and oncologists did not want to put him through a third Jones said she believed other treatment, like immunotherapy, could have been available if, following his tumour biopsy, the tumour had not been frozen in Brain Tumour Charity said freezing the tumour in paraffin can damage the tissue and make future use believes at least two samples should be flash-frozen, which can make patients eligible for clinical trials and emerging Hubbert, director of pathology for Tees Valley Pathology, part of University Hospitals Tees, said: "Our trust processes tumour biopsies using either frozen section (flash freezing) or paraffin wax embedding techniques to support diagnosis, however these are not used for the purpose of immunotherapy treatment directly." Mrs Jones has been unable to go back to work since the Christmas holidays because of the risk her husband will have another seizure."It's unimaginable really, it's hard to explain," she said."The kids know that he's got brain cancer and our youngest is only eight, he doesn't quite understand."And our oldest is 12 and I think he's a little bit in denial, he probably doesn't want to come to terms with it." 'I keep positive' Mrs Jones said she was not giving up on her husband's health."For the past three months all I've done is research, research, research, ways to help him," she said."I think it's the only way to cope really. And although it's hard, every single day I'm so positive with Trevor because I don't want him feeling worried or scared."He would do the same for me."More than £42,000 has been raised for Mr Jones, which his wife hopes will go towards treatment if it becomes available."At the moment, he isn't getting any treatment," she said."I just hope [the money] can be beneficial to Trevor." Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
