Actor and presenter Nigel Havers opened up about the death of his wife Polly in a bid to raise awareness of ovarian cancer. The former Coronation Street star, who's set to front brand new BBC One programme The Bidding Room, sadly lost his wife in 2004 after a 15-year marriage. During an appearance on Loose Women back in 2017, Nigel revealed that Polly found out she had ovarian cancer after having a hysterectomy. "It was that sudden," he said. "It was a major shock as you can imagine. That's a very tough one to get."
The actor accompanied his wife to the hospital for her appointments, recalling: "The first doctor that we saw we didn't really like. His manner was a bit brusque. So we went somewhere else and we found someone who was wonderful, so that's also important." As patron of The Eve Appeal, Nigel, 65, urged couples to talk about gynaecological problems.
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Nigel lost his wife to cancer in 2004
"Men, apparently, are a million miles from talking about that today. They find it embarrassing," he said. "If you have a problem, discuss it because it's all about early diagnosis. It really does make a difference. Don't keep it to yourself, talk about it with your husband and your partner. There should be no embarrassment." Loose Women panellist Andrea McLean praised the actor at the time for bringing up the issue, saying: "I think it's wonderful that you, as a man, are championing this, I really do."
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The actor presented a letter from Princess Diana on the show
The TV star, who has since found love with Georgiana Bronfman, also spoke about his friendship with the late Princess Diana. He showed the panellists a thank you letter that Diana had sent him after he gave her a watch for her birthday. "I did some charity work for her and she was just wonderful to be around," said Nigel. "She was immensely attractive so you felt very good in her company."
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