Trisha Goddard, who has entered the Celebrity Big Brother house, has been open about her terminal cancer diagnosis and how she manages her condition, including while on TV
Celebrity Big Brother star Trisha Goddard has opened up about how she’ll handle her medication while in the iconic house after revealing her terminal cancer diagnosis. The former chat show queen joined the ITV show tonight (Monday, 7 April) despite battling incurable stage four breast cancer as she insists: “I must keep enjoying what I have always enjoyed.”
After hosting her first show last year since announcing her illness, the brave 67 year old took to Instagram to share her strategy for managing side effects on air. She expressed gratitude towards her U.S. medical team for their support in ensuring she doesn’t “get too whacked out or floored on air.”
Trisha went on to say: “Shout out to all those living with serious chronic illnesses who have to learn the best ways to maximize those good energy times and plan their medications on work days through trial and error.” Trisha also voiced her appreciation for GPs, health services, and loved ones who “help us keep working – because a sense of purpose and accomplishment is so vital to good mental health.”
READ MORE: Celebrity Big Brother’s Trisha Goddard makes poignant vow as she enters house with terminal cancer
Trisha is putting on a brave face but acknowledges the necessity for extra measures to be put in place during her time on CBB. Discussions have been held between her medical team and the crew to guarantee sufficient support. Moreover, ITV will implement tailored arrangements for her care.
Explaining the measures being put in place, Trisha told the Mirror: “So my oncologist is my biggest cheerleader and is working with the Big Brother team. I’ve got a special therapist who’s happy to work with the medic on the show. My palliative care team – and when I say that word everybody screams and runs away, but it’s symptom treatment – is working with the team here too. And then when it comes to my treatment, I had one infusion on Monday, so I’ve got to jump on a plane and go straight back to have the next one as soon as the show is over.
“I’ve got a bag full of meds that I normally have which will be with me in the house. So my oncologist has planned my treatment around the production schedule.”
She added: “I’ve changed since going through all of this and I’ve gone through scary times and now I’m on this drug it’s a lot more optimistic. But what I’ve been through does strip away one’s filters rather on a lot! Have I changed? I don’t suffer fools lightly, but I don’t think I’m nasty. I’ve got one liners and looks and things like that. But I can’t stand bullies and people going for people. I never have been able to, but everything I’ve been through lately has just heightened everything, I think.”
The television presenter’s struggle with breast cancer started in 2008 when a hospital visit to have a running injury checked led to a devastating diagnosis. The situation took a dire turn in July 2022 when Trisha was informed that she had secondary breast cancer – also known as metastatic or stage 4 breast cancer – a condition that can be treated but is incurable.
Reflecting on the day she received her initial diagnosis, Trisha recounted to Piers Morgan during a poignant interview on his TalkTV show in 2021: “I found out with a laugh and a cry at the same time.”
Following the distressing update, she underwent a gruelling regimen of three weeks of daily radiation and four and a half months of weekly chemotherapy before moving on to “life-prolonging care.” Trisha endured two surgeries and months of chemotherapy, only to face further complications.
“Apparently, I really reacted badly. I had an ulcerated nose…. mouth,” she revealed. “I already had early onset glaucoma – a condition where the optic nerve becomes damaged – before my chemo, but the chemotherapy precipitated an eye infection that was very severe and further damaged my eyes. My eyes took a beating.”
The presenter, who had initially bounced back from cancer, faced a harsh recurrence over ten years later that spread to her bones. Opening up about her diagnosis, the mother-of-two confessed that hiding the truth became too heavy to carry. She shared: “I can’t lie; I can’t keep making up stories.”
She admitted that, after one and a half years, the weight of secrecy became overwhelming. “It gets to a stage, after a year and a half, when keeping a secret becomes more of a burden than anything else.
“I’m nervous,” she disclosed, “But it needed to be done.”