Heart Breakfast radio star Jamie Theakston shared a health update with fans on Tuesday, announcing that he'd been diagnosed with stage one laryngeal cancer.
In a statement shared to social media, the 53-year-old presenter told fans: "Hi Folks, as you know – I recently had an operation to remove a lesion from my vocal cords.
© Instagram"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 [Jason King] and Amanda [Holden]. Big thanks to them and all the Global family who have been unbelievably supportive."
He added: "Be thankful for this day, and when I see you next, I'll have a great story to tell."
Jamie's diagnosis was prompted by concern from his fans who alerted the presenter after they noticed a change in his voice.
The radio host isn't the only star to have sought medical attention after being alerted by concerned fans. From Piers Morgan to Tarek El Moussa, see below to discover other celebrities who encountered a similar situation...
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© Getty ImagesJamie Theakston
At the beginning of September, Jamie explained how he got checked out by a doctor after his listeners noticed his voice sounded different.
He made the revelation in an Instagram post writing: "Sooo – a few of you listeners have noticed my voice hasn't sounded right these past few weeks – I've got you to thank… got it checked."
He continued: "Doctors found a lesion on my vocal cords which I've had removed this weekend – thanks for all the kind messages – should be back on my feet soon – in the meantime… [zipped-up face emoji]."
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© Getty ImagesTarek El Moussa
American TV star Tarek El Moussa was diagnosed with thyroid cancer after viewers spotted a lump in his neck. The presenter, who co-hosted HGTV's real estate show Flip or Flop alongside his then-wife Christina Hall, was contacted by a trained nurse who had spotted the lump during an episode of the show in 2013.
Tarek was prompted to get checked out by a doctor and later diagnosed with stage-three thyroid cancer. He underwent surgery to have his thyroid and multiple lymph nodes removed and is now cancer-free.
During an appearance on Chasing the Cure, Tarek, 43, said: "If she didn't send that email, there's a chance I wouldn't be doing this interview right now.
"If she didn’t send that email, maybe there are other people out there that never would have found out they had cancer because I didn't have my story. Every day I wake up and I'm grateful. I'm grateful to be alive. I'm grateful for the life I have. I'm grateful for my family and I'm just happy."
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© Getty ImagesPiers Morgan
Former Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan was prompted to get checked out by a dermatologist after a concerned viewer noticed an unusual blemish on the presenter's chest and followed up with an email. The viewer in question, CEO and founder of Melanoma UK Gillian Nuttall, noticed the mark while watching Piers' ITV documentary, Serial Killers.
During an appearance on Good Morning Britain, Gillian said: "As the camera panned into you I just noticed it, and it just, something alarmed me about it. It just didn't look right, it looked uneven to me."
Reflecting on his visit to the doctor, Piers said: "[The doctor] took one look at it and cut it out within the hour. He said to me to give that lady a gold star because if I hadn't done something fairly soon, it would have turned cancerous.
"This is from one of the top specialists in the country. I was shocked when I got the email and shocked that someone could be so observant while watching a TV programme like that."
Elsewhere, Piers said: "Gillian Nuttall, you were my saviour. I am living testament to actually getting it checked because you told me to and I'm very grateful to you for that."
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© Getty ImagesMark Lawrenson
Sports pundit Mark Lawrenson thanked fans after they noticed an unusual blemish on his face which turned out to be cancerous. He received an email from a concerned viewer who said they noticed a patch of dark skin on the left side of his face.
"I was already aware of the blemish and was planning to get an appointment about it but, like a typical 60-year-old bloke, I had been putting it off rather than sorting it out," Mark wrote in an article for BBC. "That email was the kick up the backside I needed. I went to get it looked at immediately, and it was cancerous, so I had it whipped out straight away."
In September 2018, Mark told his followers on X: "After three months of outstanding care at both Ormskirk & Whiston Hospitals, I got the news that after 2 operations & the removal of my facial cancerous blemish, the cancer hasn't spread anywhere… Phew!!"
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© Getty ImagesChristian LeBlanc
The Young and the Restless star Christian LeBlanc was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2023 after several fans wrote in with concerns for his eye that was looking "a little wonky".
"The fans caught it," he told New Orleans news station 4WWL. "I was getting people like, 'Your eye is a little Jim Carrey that way, a little Michael this way."
The actor, who is now in total remission, explained how he started to experience symptoms while on the Y&R set.
"They put my wedding ring on, Lauren and Michael's wedding ring, and I put my hand down and the ring fell off without friction," Christian recalled. "I said, well, what an odd thing. My nose started bleeding on set. Sometimes this eye kind of got a little wonky, because there was a tumour in the sinus cavity. If I hadn't gone in for an eye exam, it might have progressed more. It's a very fast cancer and that is the danger of it."
