Nick Owen, who has been a regular on BBC Midlands Today for over 25 years, has disclosed that he has been diagnosed with cancer.
The 75-year-old anchor said he had prostate cancer after meeting a physician who was initially unconcerned.
He will be taking a break from the studio to focus on his health, but the BBC has stated that it will welcome him back when Nick is ready.
Nick was diagnosed with cancer in April and described it as “aggressive” and “extensive.”
On Midlands Today, on August 7, the long-standing news presenter announced: ‘I went to a specialist, he wasn’t too alarmed since my stats weren’t that high.
‘But he said I should get a scan, and the scan showed there’s something wrong, so he sent me for a biopsy, which he performed.
‘And the results of that were the killer – on April the 13th, a date (which) will forever be imprinted on my mind.
‘He told us that it was extensive, really, and aggressive, and I had prostate cancer full-on, and something needed to be done pretty fast.
‘And that was probably the worst day of my life, or certainly one of them.’
According to the NHS, prostate cancer is one of the most frequent kinds of cancer in males, affecting primarily men over the age of 50.
One in every eight men will be diagnosed, and the UK sees around 52,000 new cases each year.
‘It was a very grim moment… driving home after that sort of news and ringing people, texting people, my phone went crazy for hours on end,’ Nick added.
‘And it was a very, very difficult time for me, and indeed for my wife Vicki, who was by my side all the time through this, you know.
‘It was grim.’
In a statement, a BBC spokesperson said: ‘Nick has been one of the faces of Midlands Today for more than 25 years. Our viewers and his colleagues have missed him dearly in recent weeks.
‘We can’t wait to welcome him back to the studio as soon as he’s ready. We all wish him a speedy recovery.’
