Heartfelt messages of support have flooded in after cherished newsreader Nick Owen announced his devastating cancer diagnosis. The 75-year-old BBC Midlands Today presenter made his prostate cancer battle public yesterday, August 7 - but says he is improving and has vowed to return to work soon.
Nick, who has revealed he was diagnosed with 'an extensive and aggressive' form of the cancer back in April, says he is taking strength from the resilience shown by his former BBC colleague Anne Diamond, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in December. And he will undoubtedly be warmed by the outpouring of emotion from the public.
Dozens of CoventryLive readers sent in touching messages of support in response to Nick's shock announcement. "Been part of the news bulletins for most of my life," Lisa Judge wrote.
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"Such an amazing presenter, but genuinely lovely person. Speedy recovery and a nation of support behind you." Gwendoline Britten said: "Be positive, keep fighting we need your lovely smile back."
Iris Carroll said "you know you're strong enough to get through this," while Andrea Smith branded it 'terrible news'. "He is such a great bloke," she said.
"Been on many nights out when he is host, fingers crossed for a speedy recovery." Thousands of viewers have grown up with Nick's inimitable and endearing presenting style.
"Been a feature of Midlands TV since I was at school, 40 years ago," Bernerine Ilson said: "And still a feature. Wishing him all the best." Robert Chalmers went as far as to label the journalist 'Mr Midlands'. Good Luck, Nick, be Strong," he said.
Nick says he and Anne Diamond, with whom he worked on BBC One’s Good Morning With Anne And Nick from 1992 to 1996 and before that on ITV's Good Morning Britain in the 1980s, have been supporting each other in their respective fights with "male female cancers". Owen told Jon Kay and Rachel Burden on BBC Breakfast this morning: "We’ve been sort of cajoling each other.
"We both had major surgeries, we’ve both been talking to each other, either texting or phoning, it’s a tough old time. Even though she’s sort of better and I’m sort of better, you’re not quite yourself for a while, it takes it out of you."
He continued: "It’s just so ironic that she and I, who are, I suppose, forever associated as a partnership professionally, we both got quintessentially male female cancers." Owen says he feels “quite fragile” after undergoing a radical prostatectomy, but plans to return to his role anchoring Midlands Today in September.
Speaking about the operation, he said: "It’s called ‘radical’, so very invasive. I feel quite fragile at the moment, but I am very positive and I’m so much brighter than I was two or three weeks ago, so I feel very lucky, and I’m just really keen to urge people to get checked.
"I had no symptoms and people might think ‘I have no symptoms so why bother?’, but I think it’s important, especially if you’re over 50, getting in the system, especially if you have family history.
"The key is to get it early… mine was caught early-ish, but, who knows, six months later it could have spread down the body." The broadcaster described himself as "eternally grateful" to his GP who encouraged him to have further tests when he himself did not believe them to be necessary.
Owen has described April 13, when he was told he had an "extensive and aggressive" cancer that required urgent treatment to act quickly, as "D-Day".
"At this moment it seems very encouraging that I am hopefully all clear," he added. "Things will emerge later down the line to prove that, I hope, but at this moment in time everything is really encouraging."
