BBC Radio 2 presenter Mark Radcliffe has announced that he is about to undergo treatment for tongue cancer, speaking live to listeners during his Wednesday evening show. He said in a tweet following: "Now – here’s a thing – I’m sad to say that I’ve got some cancerous tongue and lymph node issues and so, as I’m sure you’ll understand, I’m going to be disappearing for a while. It’s all been caught very early and so everything should be fine."
Mark and his two daughters
He added in a second post: "All being well I’ll be back in action in the new year – or sooner if I feel well enough – but I will be back – you can depend on it – I just can’t say exactly when that will be. So You won’t hear from me for a while now and therefore… well….. Merry Christmas I guess. Life eh?"
Mark's tweets were retweeted, liked and commented on thousands of times, with many of his fellow presenting colleagues sending their best wishes. Claudia WInkleman said: "Sending so much love," while Simon Mayo commented, "Hey get well soon Mark! Look forward to your full recovery." Zoe Ball added: "Wishing you much love wonderful chap for speedy recovery. All the love xxxxx."
The DJ presents the station's Folk Show, as well as a 6 Music show with Stuart Maconie. He presented on both 5 Live and BBC Radio 1 earlier in his career, and hosted Radio 1's breakfast show as half of duo Marc and Lard, alongside Marc Riley.
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Mark's loyal listeners were quick to send their messages of support to him, too. "Wishing you a swift and speedy recovery Mark. Look after yourself," wrote one, while another said: "All the very best to you for a speedy recovery - the Radcliffe tongue is very much needed on our radio."