Bill Turnbull believed that “aches and pains that didn't go away" were simply a sign of old age. Instead, these were actually symptoms of prostate cancer, as the BBC Breakfast star was given a terminal diagnosis in 2017.
After a five-year battle, Bill died peacefully at his Suffolk home, surrounded by family, on Wednesday August 31 at the age of 66. His family’s statement read: “Bill was diagnosed in 2017 and has had outstanding medical care from the Royal Marsden and Ipswich hospitals, St Elizabeth hospice and his GP.
“He was resolutely positive and was hugely buoyed by the support he received from friends, colleagues, and messages from people wishing him luck. It was a great comfort to Bill that so many more men are now testing earlier for this disease.”
Following his diagnosis, Bill was determined not to allow other men make the same mistake, urging people to get checked at the earliest opportunity. He previously opened up about his early symptoms and how he delayed getting them checked out by the doctor.
What were Bill Turnbull’s early signs of prostate cancer?
Bill Turnbull was diagnosed with cancer while filming for Channel 4’s The Great Celebrity Bake Off, which happened to be in aid of Stand Up to Cancer. Speaking on the programme, Bill said: “I was getting pain in my legs and in my hips particularly, and I thought, ‘This is old age’.
“Eventually the pain got so bad I thought I’d better go see my GP. He said, ‘I’m just going to give you a blood test, an MOT if you like, to check a few things out’.”
The doctor ultimately informed him that he had advanced prostate cancer which had spread to the bone. The former presenter of Songs of Praise and daytime quiz show Think Tank subsequently used his platform to plead with men to learn from his mistake and get checked early, adding: "Men don't want to go to the doctors, as simple as that.
"I didn't want to go to the doctor. Now I'm going to the doctor all the time. They all know me on a first name basis."
Opening up on the ignored symptoms, Bill also told Morning Live: "I didn't get checked which is why I'm in the situation I'm in now. And we were working out the other day; the first symptoms were maybe six months, eight months before I got diagnosed, with aches and pains that didn't go away. And actually there were other warning signs in the previous years as well that I should have paid attention to."
What are the symptoms of prostate cancer?
The NHS lists early signs of prostate cancer on its website, including:
Needing to pee more frequently, often during the night
Needing to rush to the toilet
Difficulty in starting to pee (hesitancy)
Straining or taking a long time while peeing
Weak flow
Feeling that your bladder has not emptied fully
Blood in urine or blood in semen
Symptoms of the cancer having spread to the bone could come in the form of:
Loss of appetite
Unintentional weight loss
Bone and back pain
Pain in the testicles
Having these symptoms does not mean you have prostate cancer, with many of them being signs of non-cancerous benign prostate enlargement. Either way, it’s important to get checked as soon as possible as you are unlikely to experience very early signs of prostate cancer unless the cancer grows against the tube you urinate from.
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