James Whale has admitted that his diagnosis with terminal cancer means he may not “make it” to the end of the year.
The Celebrity Big Brother star candidly shared his health fears after collecting his MBE from Princess Anne this week.
James, who is a TV presenter and radio host, is currently living with the disease. And he has now opened up about what this may mean for his immediate future.
James Whale makes confession about illness
The broadcasting veteran is currently fighting stage four kidney cancer. He was first diagnosed back in 2000 and consequently had to have one of his kidneys removed.
In 2020, James explained that the cancer had returned in his spine, kidney, brain and lungs.
On Wednesday (April 17), James was made an MBE. He said to the PA News Agency after the ceremony: “I didn’t think I’d be here to receive this. “But who knows? I’ve been terminally ill now for nearly four years. 25 years ago I had the original cancer.
So I might make the end of this year, I might not.
“So I might make the end of this year, I might not – I might be around next year. I think you’ve got to be positive. I know it’s getting a bit worse than it was. You just have to go with the flow really. You have to do that to get through it.
“One in two of us is going to go on this journey until they find a cure. They will find a cure. But you have to make the most of it. When you’re my age – and I’ve had a good life – you say maybe you have another year left. Four years ago, we thought we had months.”
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James Whale made MBE
The star has been made an MBE for five decades of service to broadcasting and charity. He said the award has been “the pinnacle of doing what I’ve done”.
He also joked that he’s “very proud” “somebody has recognised the fact that I’ve spent my entire life being rude to people for entertainment”.
James – who entered the CBB house in 2016 and lasted 23 days – said that if his parents were still around, they would be “in tears”. He concluded that “it’s a great honour at the end of your life”.
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