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Television presenter Nick Owen is encouraging more men to get tested for prostate cancer after his own diagnosis.
Nick said it was “difficult” telling his own sons about the disease after he was diagnosed in 2023. And while the 76-year-old has undergone successful treatment himself, he wonders his children could be at risk.
Nick returned to work after a prostate-specific antigen test a few weeks ago showed his cancer hasn’t come back, reports the Mirror.
He said: “I’ve been through the middle of it. And I realised that the sooner you get seen the better.”
“We had an MRI, there was a hint there was something going on. Then I had a biopsy. And that would tell us that it was really nasty and aggressive. And we need to do something quickly. Telling my children was difficult. I’ve got four children, three are our boys, two in their forties and one in their late thirties, and it was quite emotional.”
“Also, as far as the boys [Andy, Tim and Chris] are concerned, it’s a warning because it can be a hereditary thing. I’m very keen for my boys to be extremely on the case. I’ll work on them to go earlier than 50, to be honest, to have the PSA tests. And the message has to be if you have got any hint of a worry, get someone to look at it.”
One in eight men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime. Nick has released a new podcast on the subject, with statistics from cancer care specialist GenesisCare showing 79% initially keep silent about symptoms, with one in 10 taking over six months to voice their concern, if they ever do.
Nick now wants more men over the age of 50 to go for tests to break the taboo. He says some men have even written to him to say they got tested after he revealed his diagnosis.
Nick continued: “It is embarrassing to talk about but there has got to be change, blokes need to talk about it and get tested. Ever since I was 60 I have tried to get a PSA every year if I can.”
Nick married reflexologist Vicki Beevers in 2020. His children are from his first marriage to Jill Lavery, who he split from amicably in 2009.
He has presented on BBC Midlands Today since 1997. He wants to continue working two days a week for as long as he can.
Nick, who had a radical prostatectomy and 25 lymph nodes removed, said: “I still enjoy working, I cannot imagine not doing something journalistic. I’m still an avid devourer of news.”
“I don’t like to think of myself as 76, inside I am still a kid.”
Nick Owen is working with GenesisCare to launch the brand new Deadly Silent Podcast. For more information on prostate cancer symptoms and treatment options visit www.genesiscare.com/uk
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Source: NewsFinale
