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TV legend Michael Parkinson reveals he has prostate cancer

78-year-old former chat show host finds treatment to be free of pain and discomfort

Liam O'Brien
Monday 08 July 2013 17:39 BST
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Sir Michael Parkinson and wife Mary in the Wimbledon crowd this week
Sir Michael Parkinson and wife Mary in the Wimbledon crowd this week

The former TV chat show host Sir Michael Parkinson has revealed that he is battling prostate cancer.

The veteran broadcaster, 76, is undergoing radiotherapy treatment but claimed he is confident of making a full recovery from the disease.

He was diagnosed in May following a routine health check, and is now having five radiotherapy sessions a week.

"When you are told you have something like cancer, it is a shock," he told the Press Association. "But the cancer specialist said: 'I will assure you, you will not die of this.' I am concerned about it, of course, but I am not frightened of it."

Despite his intensive treatment, Sir Michael said he continues to live a "normal life" and has found his "extraordinary" treatment to be free of pain and discomfort.

"If anything, it's boring," he said. "You have to lie there completely still, for six minutes. But I have had no side effects at all."

The presenter, who is famed for his searching interviews with celebrities including Billy Connolly and Muhammad Ali, is hoping to be "completely free" of the disease by August. He urged men to try a simple test to check they're clear of the disease.

"The test is if you can pee against a wall from 2ft, you haven't got it," he said. "I don't want to trivialise it, but men know when there's a problem. I have been lucky, but men are silly about their health."

Sir Michael expressed his gratitude to the medical staff who have helped him fight the illness, and said: "I shall be around for a while yet, to the delight of my friends and the dismay of my enemies."

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