Angie Best shared a photo from her hospital bed in Switzerland as she undergoes treatment for colon cancer that has spread to her liver
Angie Best has shared a poignant update from her hospital bed as she embarks on an unconventional ‘mistletoe’ chemotherapy treatment following her recent cancer diagnosis. The 73 year old former wife of football icon George Best uploaded a photo on Instagram on Thursday, depicting her connected to an IV drip in a Swiss medical facility.
In the snapshot, Angie is seen sitting in a hospital bed with medical apparatus, including bags of IV fluid on a stand, visible next to her. This heart-wrenching post comes just over a week after her son Calum, 44, disclosed that she had been diagnosed with colon cancer that has metastasised to her liver.
Captioning her post, Angie penned: “Trying to fake a smile, didn’t realise how sick I was, couldn’t wait so in Switzerland for chemo with Mistletoe, a sincere heartfelt thank you to you my Homies for your kindness.”
Mistletoe therapy – named so because it utilises extracts from the European mistletoe plant – is an alternative cancer treatment that has been employed in Europe for decades, particularly in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
Some practitioners believe it can stimulate the immune system and enhance the quality of life for cancer patients, though its effectiveness remains a topic of debate in mainstream medicine.
It is not a standard, approved cancer treatment on the NHS, as robust evidence of its effectiveness as a cure is deemed inconclusive by major UK cancer bodies.
It can be used in conjunction with chemotherapy, which is what Angie is currently doing. Her post garnered a lot of support. The TV star’s son, Calum, expressed his love and support, commenting: “You are some woman and I love you so much, we got this”.
TV presenter Jenny Powell sent her well wishes, writing: “Sending you all positive and healing vibes right now. Hope you can play some 528 frequencies, much love”, while model Paul Sculfor wished her “strength and wellness.”
Angie also expressed doubts about conventional cancer treatments, sharing a meme titled “the cancer scam”. The unverified claim read: “So you’re telling me they spend $200 billion every single year on cancer research and the only thing to show for it is a 75 percent increase in cancer deaths since the 1990s?”
This update follows Calum’s heartbreaking revelation of his mother’s diagnosis in a video shared on social media earlier this month.
In the emotional footage, he said: “A few weeks ago, my beautiful, wonderful mum was diagnosed with cancer. For as long as I can remember, she has lived her life rooted in health, fitness and wellbeing. She has always believed in taking care of the body, mind and soul. But as we all know, cancer doesn’t discriminate.”
“It doesn’t care where you’re from, how you live, or how healthy you try to be. And now, it’s here – and it’s with my mum.”
Calum confessed that he ‘hasn’t cried in years’ but has been on an ’emotional rollercoaster’ since learning of his mother’s diagnosis.
“My mum has been diagnosed with colon cancer that has spread to her liver,” he revealed. “Moving forward, we require access to specialist care and professionals who can provide the appropriate treatment. ‘This is incredibly hard for me to say, but financially, I can’t shoulder this on my own.”
The reality star established a GoFundMe page to help fund his mother’s specialist treatment, stating: ‘Any contribution, no matter how small, will help us access the specialists, treatment and care my mum needs during this time. ‘.
In her own message shared alongside Calum’s announcement, Angie pledged she is ‘ready to fight’ the disease. She penned: “Consultations and research all takes dosh which I don’t have BUT I truly believe that this info will be invaluable as research suggests 1 in 2 of us will get some form of cancer. Yikes. Wish me luck, Onwards and upwards Homies.”
Angie encountered Manchester United and Northern Ireland legend George Best at a dinner party in Los Angeles in 1975 when he was signing to play for the Los Angeles Aztecs. It was reportedly ‘love at first sight’, and they relocated to London together in 1976.
When Angie returned to Los Angeles, George followed her and convinced her to marry him. They tied the knot on 24 January 1976 and welcomed their son Calum in 1981.
However, the couple separated the following year and divorced in 1986, following George’s well-documented struggles with alcohol abuse and domestic violence. George Best passed away in 2005 at the age of 59 from multiple organ failure due to his alcoholism. Bowel cancer affects the large bowel, which is made up of the colon an.
Symptoms of this condition include bleeding from the bottom, blood in stools, a change in bowel habits lasting three weeks or more, unexplained weight loss, extreme tiredness and stomach pain or a lump in the tummy.
Bowel Cancer UK reports that over 41,200 individuals are diagnosed with bowel cancer annually in the UK. In the US, the National Cancer Institute states that it affects approximately 40 per 100,000 adults each year. More than nine out of ten people diagnosed with stage 1 bowel cancer survive for five years or longer post-diagnosis, although most cases are identified at later stages when the disease has already spread.
