Radio 1 DJ Adele Roberts has revealed she's battling bowel cancer in a heartbreaking statement ahead of surgery to remove the tumour.
Radio 1 DJ Adele Roberts has revealed bowel cancer diagnosis in a heartbreaking statement as she urges fans to get themselves checked after she discovered she has bowel cancer, following months of digestive issues.
The former I'm a Celebrity and Big Brother star will be taking some time out from her Weekend Breakfast radio shows this weekend ahead of treatment to remove the tumour.
Adele, 42, shared a selfie of herself wearing a hospital gown ahead of surgery to raise awareness that cancer can "affect anyone, at any age and any time".
She captioned the snap, "Ok, there’s no easy way to do this and it feels weird, especially posting on social media (I’m going full Black Mirror 🙃😄) but I’m hoping it’ll reach anyone who might benefit from seeing it or reading it.
"For a while now I’ve been struggling with my digestion. Thanks to a conversation I had with my Dad a few years back I went to my GP for a check up.
"I’ll be honest, I was embarrassed but I also knew that it could be something serious. So I went just in case. I didn’t think anything of it at first and just assumed it might be food sensitivity. After a few phone calls I was sent for some examinations and checks. I was then diagnosed with bowel cancer. This was at the start of the month."
While Adele's diagnosis and surgery have happened so quickly she wants to help others who might be suffering in silence with their symptoms as she shares some of the bowel cancer symptoms.
She continued, "I hope it helps anyone who might be worrying, or suffering in silence. PLEASE make sure you get checked out if you have ANY concerns. The sooner you’re able to see your GP or talk to someone the sooner you can get help. If I hadn’t I might not be so lucky. As I’ve learned over the last few weeks, there’s no ‘normal’ with cancer. Sadly it can affect anyone, at any age, anytime. It doesn’t discriminate. Early detection can save your life."
Adele, who is from Southport, Mersyside, is in a relationship with actor and vlogger Kate Holderness, went on to praise the NHS 'heroes' and revealed that she is having surgery today (25th October) to remove the tumour and she added, "Then see if I need anymore treatment or if the cancer has spread. So far the outlook is positive and I feel so lucky that I can be treated. It’s just the start of my journey but I’m going to give it everything I’ve got."
Adele went on to say, "Sending everyone so much love and positivity for the week ahead. THANK YOU to my family words cannot describe how much you have helped me through these last few weeks. You saved me. You are my angels and I shall be thinking of you tomorrow. I can’t wait to wake up and see your beautiful faces (on FaceTime if I can compose myself enough to work my phone 🙃). If not your voices 😍 to hear you will be everything. That’s all I’m wishing for 🙏🏽."
Over 42,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in the UK and if caught early, it's very treatable.
In her post, Adele finished by saying, "The hardest thing wasn't even finding out I had cancer, it was telling my family. It broke my heart.
"If you know any of them please look after them for me until I can see them again. Especially my Katie. I worry about her being on her own while I'm away."
Fellow BBC Radio DJ Scott Mills responded to the honest caption with a heartfelt comment, writing "We all love you Adele. It's amazing you posted this. You’re awesome and you’ve GOT this 😊❤️❤️."
Meanwhile, Radio 1 host Mollie King wrote, "Sending you so much love Adele! ❤️❤️❤️."
Bowel cancer symptoms
- A persistent change in bowel habit - going more often, with looser stools and sometimes tummy pain
- Blood in the stools without other symptoms, such as piles
- Abdominal pain, discomfort or bloating always brought on by eating - sometimes resulting in a reduction in the amount of food eaten and weight loss
Most people with these symptoms do not have bowel cancer, but the NHS advice is to see your GP if you have one or more of the symptoms and they have persisted for more than four weeks.
