Jamie Theakston reflects on the shock moment he was diagnosed with cancer – as he reveals his radio listeners ‘saved his life’

Jamie Theakston has reflected on the shock moment he was diagnosed with cancer as he revealed that his Heart Breakfast listeners ‘saved his life’.

The radio presenter, 54, announced he had been diagnosed with stage one laryngeal cancer in October 2024, after listeners had noticed there was something not quite right with his voice.

Laryngeal cancer is a type of cancer that affects the larynx (voice box). 

After undergoing three life-changing surgeries and being told he had ‘a one in six chance he might not be able to talk again’, Jamie revealed last month that he was free from the disease and would be back on the radio full-time. 

Now, reflecting on his four-month battle in a new interview with The Times, Jamie lifted the lid on the moment he found out he had cancer.

After his listeners and wife Sophie all noticed something unusual with his voice and his pal Davina McCall gave him a hug around the neck that felt uncomfortable, Jamie decided to get himself checked out.

Jamie Theakston has reflected on the shock moment he was diagnosed with cancer as he revealed that his Heart Breakfast listeners ‘saved his life’

The radio presenter, 54, announced he had been diagnosed with stage one laryngeal cancer in October 2024, after listeners had noticed there was something not quite right with his voice

He visited his GP who swiftly referred him to a specialist in Harley Street, and he went to meet them alone while his family were packing for a Japan holiday.

Opening up on the moment he heard the news from his surgeon, he told the publication: ‘He said, ‘We’ll do a laryngoscopy,’ and then he said, ‘Oh yeah, that looks like cancer.’ I just couldn’t believe it. 

‘I’d fully anticipated he would say, ‘Oh well, look, we’ll give you some antibiotics.’ But he said, ‘We need to get you scanned now.”

The radio star then flew to Japan with his family for their holiday and upon returning he got the call to confirm the cancer diagnosis.

Jamie also revealed it was his Heart Breakfast listeners who ‘saved his life’ by noticing the change in his voice.

He said: ‘There were a couple of listeners who said, ‘You really need to get it checked.’ And I guess in many ways that sort of saved my life. Without being too dramatic about it.’

Jamie’s new interview comes just after he was overcome with emotion as he shared a heart-wrenching call with a cancer survivor live on Heart Breakfast radio on Tuesday. 

A listener dialed in to send Jamie her well-wishes while revealing her very similar cancer story.

The lady revealed she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the same time as Jamie was after her mother died the year prior, likewise to the radio star.

He visited GP who swiftly referred him to a specialist in Harley Street, who he went to meet alone while his family were packing for a Japan holiday 

Opening up on the moment he heard the news, he told the publication: ‘He [surgeon] said, ‘We’ll do a laryngoscopy,’ and then he said, ‘Oh yeah, that looks like cancer.’ I just couldn’t believe it’

She said: ‘I went and got it checked out. And the doctor was like “I don’t think it is, but we’ll just quickly pass you through”. And I mean, the NHS are fantastic.

‘Everything happened so quickly it was like dizziness, because it was all the hospital appointments, and got diagnosed beginning of August with early-stage breast cancer.

‘I had two operations and then I got the all clear. So, it’s really important to get it checked as soon as you find anything.’

Jamie’s co-host Amanda Holden added: ‘That’s like the same timeline as Jamie basically.’

Jamie added: ‘It was actually, August through to…Can I ask you, why didn’t you get it checked? When you said you thought you found a lump, you didn’t get it checked? Why was that?’

She replied: ‘It was literally just because I just didn’t think about it. It just wasn’t an occurrence to me that it could be breast cancer. No one in my family had ever had breast cancer.

‘No one had, it just wasn’t a thing, and it really is stupid to ignore anything. It really is and I was one of the lucky ones and got it sorted straight away.’

As he began work again, Jamie said: ‘Thanks to everyone for making this morning feel very, very special. Thanks for your (the listeners’) messages as well.’ 

After undergoing three life-changing surgeries and being told he had ‘a one in six chance he might not be able to talk again’, Jamie revealed last month that he was free from the disease 

Taking to Instagram, Jamie wrote: ‘Nice try cancer, but I’m still here! CANCER FREE. Difficult roads can lead to beautiful destinations, and after 3 surgeries and 4 months of vocal therapy, I’m back baby !!’

Jamie shocked fans with his diagnosis in an Instagram post last year 

Amanda then added: ‘We are so happy to welcome him back!’

To which Jamie said back: ‘Four months I have waited for this moment!’ as Amanda said: ‘It feels longer it feels more like five months.’

During the programme, audio clips were played from Jamie’s colleagues, friends and family talking about his cancer diagnosis.

His wife, Sophie Siegle, said: ‘Hello, darling. It’s me, Sophie. When we found out you had cancer, it was wow, such a dark time’.

His son, Sidney, added: ‘Well done for getting through these past few months.’

After the audio played, Amanda said: ‘What an amazing man you are. You really fought very hard, Jamie, you’ve kept your sense of humour, which is the most important thing, I think.

‘And isn’t it wonderful? It’s a terrible thing to go through, but it’s a wonderful thing to see how many people love you.’

Also on the programme, Jamie encouraged listeners to check themselves and said: ‘Ignoring cancer won’t beat it. 

Jamie’s new interview comes just after he was overcome with emotion as he shared a heart-wrenching call with a cancer survivor live on Heart Breakfast radio on Tuesday 

‘Cancer loves being ignored. It’s a coward that lives in the shadows, and I think that, if we can shine a light on that, then we can defeat the darkness.

‘If we just get ourselves checked, then stage one diagnosis, which is what I was very fortunate enough to be at, shouldn’t be a problem, but I do, I urge you to go and get checked.’

He announced the news by saying: ‘Today is the four-month anniversary of my cancer diagnosis. So it’s been four months, and I’ve had enough of hospitals and operations, and it’s just lovely to be back, and I’ve got some news for you. Because I can tell you that as of today, I’m cancer free.

‘Anyone who’s been through what I’ve been through will know it’s kind of you just get a barrage of statistics.

‘So they’ll always tell you in the first one, when I got my diagnosis which came as an enormous shock, by the way, I was fully intended to be told that I had a sore throat.

‘And when I was told, ‘oh, it’s probably cancer’, just, literally, I just didn’t even know what to say. I mean, it just blew my mind. And so then it’s all about statistics. So the first is go, ‘well, you’ll have a one in ten chance you won’t survive it’.

A listener dialed in to send Jamie her well-wishes while revealing her very similar cancer story

Jamie pictured with wife Sophie Siegle in 2017

‘And you kind of go, ‘oh okay, I’ll take that’. And then I had to do several surgeries. So, the first surgery wasn’t as successful as we hoped. Had a second surgery, and then a third surgery, and each time, I was doing more and more damage to my vocal cords.

‘So, in actual fact, by the third one, they said, ‘well, look, you’ve got a one in six chance you might not be able to talk again’.

‘And so, then you kind of think, ‘oh, okay, that’s like rolling a dice’, yeah, I’ll take that. And so, there’s just a kind of, it’s just statistics after statistics.’

His Heart FM co-host Amanda said: ‘Well, you should be very buoyed by that because, yes, it was huge news when it all happened.

‘It was devastating for us all to hear it. But we are so thrilled that you sound great and you are in the studio.’

Taking to Instagram, Jamie wrote: ‘Nice try cancer, but I’m still here! CANCER FREE. Difficult roads can lead to beautiful destinations, and after 3 surgeries and 4 months of vocal therapy, I’m back baby !!

‘Come share the love, Heart Breakfast, Monday morning @thisisheart @noholdenback.’

At the time he revealed his diagnosis last year, Jamie said: ‘Hi folks, as you know – I recently had an operation to remove a lesion from my vocal chords.

‘The biopsy has identified this as Stage 1 Laryngeal cancer. So I have cancer but cancer doesn’t have me!

‘The prognosis is very positive and I’m hoping to be back with you in October. Until then, I’ve been told to give my voice a rest and leave you in the mostly capable hands of JK and Amanda.

‘Huge thanks to them and all the Global family who have been unbelievably supportive. Be thankful for this day, and when I see you next, I’ll have a great story to tell.’

According to the NHS, symptoms of laryngeal cancer include a change in your voice, such as sounding hoarse, pain when swallowing, a lump or swelling in your neck, a long-lasting cough or breathlessness, a persistent sore throat or earache and, in the most severe cases, difficulty breathing.

In the UK, there are more than 2,000 new cases of laryngeal cancer each year. The condition is more common in people over the age of 60, and it’s more common in men than women.