Sky presenter Jacquie Beltrao opens up about the milestone 60th she wondered if she’d reach, how husband Eduardo has been her rock and her joy at being ‘cancer-free’ for five years
Jacquie Beltrao has faced some formidable challenges in her life – competing as a gymnast in the 1984 Olympics and interviewing some of sport’s great stars. For the likeable, straight-talking Sky News presenter, none have been bigger, however, than the cancer battle she has fought for the last 12 years.
But on Monday 21 April, Jacquie turns 60 – five years on from finding out she had stage 4 breast cancer after the doctors found the disease had spread to her leg and spine. It’s a milestone, she exclusively tells OK!, thought she would never make, yet thanks to a pioneering drug called Olaparib – often taken by ovarian cancer sufferers – she is fighting fit, has been cancer-free for half a decade and welcomed in her seventh decade in style.
READ MORE: Olay 3-in-1 SPF that makes ‘skin brighter and more youthful’ hits sale to rival Boots sale
“In some ways turning 60 can fill you with dread, sometimes you feel people can look at you differently, but there were days I never thought I would make it to this point given the severity of my cancer. But here I am.
“I feel truly blessed and ready to have a big party to celebrate life. I have always been a very positive person, trying to find the right mindset to approach life, but almost exactly five years ago when I was told my cancer had spread, it was very hard not to start planning a funeral. But instead, I was planning a 60th birthday. It’s wonderful to be able to say that.”
Warm and open, Jacquie is speaking to us from her stylish, light-filled home in south-west London, which she and Brazilian husband Eduardo, 60, renovated themselves. The house has a grey and dark blue theme throughout, with a statement cream fireplace in the living room. In the dining area is a wall of photos on which proudly hang graduation pictures of each of the couple’s three grown-up kids, as well as artist-drawn images of their dogs.
Reflecting on how her former career as an elite gymnast – she represented Great Britain at the 1984 Olympics – has helped shape her mindset in her fight against cancer, Jacquie says, “It has definitely helped me. You have this belief and drive when you compete in elite sport.
“I’m sure the fact that I know I was in a tiny fraction of people who were able to compete for their country at an Olympics gave me some belief that maybe I could be in the fraction of people who survive long after a cancer diagnosis that I got. But I can’t emphasise enough how lucky I feel.”
She has been a central figure in breakfast TV for over three decades, hosting the sports bulletins on Sky News’ Breakfast programme – being there for some of the biggest moments in sporting history. Her eyes light up when she proudly reflects on some of her favourite presenting moments of her career at Sky, which is now in its 33rd year – making her the longest-serving presenter at the channel after Kay Burley stepped away earlier this year.
“Oh my goodness, being at Wimbledon to see Andy Murray win it in 2013 was super special,” she gushes fondly. “I was surrounded by all these tennis aficionados in the press section and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. It was a privilege to see the first British man to win Wimbledon for 77 years.
“Equally, seeing the Lionesses win the Euros in 2022 was incredible. We were dashing in and out of the stadium to get ready to do a live broadcast as everything unfolded at Wembley. When they won 2-1, we were so happy. When I eventually finished my last broadcast at 11.30pm that night, I barely had a voice left.”
But Jacquie is aware that to do her job, she has to be “blinkered and focused”, getting up at 3.30am every morning from Thursday to Saturday to present the Breakfast show, as life at home continues on. She lives in her swanky semi-detached home with Eduardo, where they have resided for 12 years. It is here that they brought up their three kids Amelia, 27, who is a newsreader on TalkSport radio, and sons Tiago, 24, a promotions and publicity executive, and Jorge, 23, an oil and shipping analyst.
“There were days when if I made the kids’ dinner, I would be doing well, such was the focus on the job,” she wistfully reflects. “Given how early I get up, I need to get to bed early to get my sleep so often, while others are winding down for the weekend, I am winding up and focusing on work. But they have been so supportive of me and what has happened to me with my cancer has brought us even closer together. I couldn’t have done it without them.”
It was in 2013 that Jacquie was first diagnosed with the disease after noticing a lump. A mastectomy and reconstruction followed and at one point she was told the chances of any cancer returning in the next five years were around three out of 100 – odds she described as “pretty damn good”.
Jacquie oozes positivity as she remembers how, in a bid to fight off the disease, she completely overhauled her diet, ditched dairy, started yoga and began running three times a week. However, in 2020 – during the Covid lockdown – she found a lump the size of a grain of rice just below her collarbone. In the following days she learned her cancer had returned and it was more aggressive than before.
Doctors said it was stage four and that she would never be fully rid of it. “It hit me like a ton of bricks. I’d always been positive in my outlook, looking for good news, good outcomes and then it became very hard to see them,” Jacquie quietly remembers, as Eduardo leans over to hug her tenderly.
“I didn’t know where to turn. I would have some very dark thoughts. I remember looking up how long people live for from stage four cancer and it said a max of two years. I remember Eduardo couldn’t come in to see the doctor with me, which was so hard for both of us, due to Covid restrictions. The kids not only had to deal with Covid and the lockdown, but they had to take in the news that mum’s cancer was back. I still don’t know what effect that will have on them. It must have been so hard.”
A year later, her outlook was made even tougher when a scan found the cancer had spread to each of her legs and her spine. In total, she had 17 rounds of chemotherapy. However, it was a PARP inhibitor drug which kills off cancerous cells that changed things for her when she started taking it in 2021.
Jacquie reveals, “I started to take a targeted therapy drug called Olaparib. I was at a point where I would take anything that gave me a chance. For some it has little effect, for others it works for a while and then stops. But remarkably, for me it worked.
“The best way to describe it is to imagine your cancer as a three-legged chair and the drug comes in and knocks one of the legs down and collapses it. Within weeks of taking it, I noticed that my lymph nodes were down, I had a feeling my next scan would show the spread may have slowed.
“In June 2021, I had a scan and the doctor called me to say, ‘You have very, very good results’. She told me there’s no evidence of the disease at all. I was stunned. She explained all of the tumours had gone on the scan, whereas eight weeks ago the cancer could be seen really prominently.
“She sent me over the scan and it was right, the evidence of cancer had gone. It was all down to this miracle drug. I remember telling Eduardo, the boys and Amelia and there was lots of hugging and crying, pure joy and relief.”
Since then, she has been cancer-free. Jacquie, who still has regular check-ups, said, “I’ve had my life back, I feel very blessed. Obviously, I’m aware that it could come back at any point as I have lived through that experience.
“I take two tablets of the drug twice a day and although it might sound strange, every time I take them out of the packet I feel grateful. And I am fearful to ever miss a dose as I know what they have done and are doing for me.”
As we talk, the other two loves of her life scamper around her legs – insisting to be in the pictures. They are her dogs – bichon cross Ted and havanese Lily. She got them from the Dogs Trust charity. “These guys have been amazing for me. Having dogs when you are in a difficult situation in life helps to ground you,” Jacquie laughs as Ted tugs on her ankle.
“They steer me away from dark thoughts about the cancer as I have to think about looking after them. I would advise anyone to get a dog. Like my family, they bring me so much happiness.”
And speaking of her recent milestone birthday celebrations, Jacquie said, “All the Beltrao clan love a party and the kids, especially. “It was so special being there with them and Eduardo. At points I didn’t think we would get this far, so it was a big celebration.”
The couple have already been to Thailand at the start of the year to celebrate their joint 60th birthdays, but what are her dreams for the future? Jacquie reveals, “Well, I want Eduardo and I to finish the Argentinian Tango lessons we have started. I’d love that, and then I’d quite like to get better at golf! But, quite frankly, I want to remain healthy and happy. It’s quite a simple ask really.”
Source: Mirror
Leave a Reply