Cliff Notes – Trisha Goddard clears up major misconception about her terminal cancer
- Trisha Goddard, diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, clarified that her cancer is localized to her right hip bone, countering assumptions that it has spread throughout her body.
- During her time on Celebrity Big Brother, she aimed to inspire others living with cancer, emphasising the importance of living fully despite the diagnosis.
Trisha Goddard clears up major misconception about her terminal cancer
Trisha Goddard made history by receiving cancer treatment inside the Celebrity Big Brother house (Picture: Vianney Le Caer/Shutterstock for Big Brother)
Celebrity Big Brother star Trisha Goddard has addressed a huge misconception about her cancer.
The talk show hosting legend, 67, was the second star evicted from this year’s CBB, which was won by Corrie actor Jack P. Shepherd last night, while Danny Beard finished second.
Trisha was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008 but was given the all-clear.
In 2022, however, her cancer returned as stage 4 breast cancer, or metastatic cancer, and the esteemed broadcaster confirmed it’s ‘not going away’.
However, she was determined to send a powerful message during her time in CBB, repeatedly telling viewers that you ‘can’t be so scared of dying that you become afraid of living.’
Trisha scheduled her cancer treatment around her stint in the ITV house, explaining before she went in that everything had been planned with precision to minimise disruptions to her care.
The talk show hosting legend was the second evictee (Picture: Sofi Adams/Shutterstock for Big Brother)
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Now, after the final, she has given a detailed interview delving into the nature of her illness, keen to dispel one mistruth in particular.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Trisha explained that many people had reservations about her entering CBB.
‘I had messages like, “You should be spending your dying days with your family, not in the Big Brother House”, and the assumption is that the cancer has spread all over your body: liver, kidney; everywhere. But for a hell of a lot of people with metastatic cancer—me included—it’s not the case,’ she began.
‘It’s in my bone, specifically my right hip bone. And people have lived with cancer like this for five, 10, even 20 years.
‘By the end of this year, there will be 3.4million Brits living with cancer, a lot of them almost hiding away—and I wanted to show that you can still live a full and vigorous life.’
She added that many people who have cancer ‘are still working, muddling through’ because ‘they have to’.
Trisha’s breast cancer returned in 2022 (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
She was determined to send a powerful message while in the house (Picture: Shutterstock for Big Brother)
‘They don’t tell anyone about their diagnosis because they’re frightened of the reaction; scared, too, of losing their job. And lots of employers are not equipped to keep them in work. But how about saying, “What can we do to help you work?”’
Reflecting on her historic CBB signing, Trisha heaped praise on the production crew for how accommodating they were after liaising with her US medical team to make her appearance possible.
She was assigned her own bedroom away from the other housemates, allowing her to go to sleep when she wanted to, and she also had her own bathroom.
‘I thought I was going to get—ooh—a bed with a curtain, but amazingly they decided I should have my own bedroom, loo, and bathroom, which I genuinely wasn’t expecting. I was blown away by that. And they gave me my own low-fat food in a little fridge.’
Although Trisha admits she did ‘miss out’ on not being in the main bedroom, where all the action was.
‘You can’t be so scared of dying that you become afraid of living’ (Picture: ITV)
Trisha has no plans to slow down now (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
‘I got a bit of FOMO.’
While inside the compound, she took several meds to manage the side effects of her chemo and continued with physical exercises to manage her balance issues.
The media personality has spoken incredibly highly of her time on the programme, having been visibly gutted to leave due to how much fun she was having.
She’s likened it to ‘being paid to go on holiday,’ saying that being in ‘captivity’ and shut off from the rest of the world allowed her a newfound ‘freedom’ from everyday life.
‘I was a child again, absolved of all grown-up duties, and who gets that in life?’
Macmillan cancer support
If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with cancer, Macmillan can offer support and information.
You can contact their helpline on 0808 808 00 00 (7 days a week from 8am to 8pm), use their webchat service, or visit their site for more information.
