Trisha Goddard has shared a powerful update on her stage four breast cancer and revealed how treatment, fitness and family support are helping her live well with the disease
Trisha Goddard has shared a candid update on her health after confronting the return of breast cancer, describing a hearbreaking question she was forced to ask her doctor.
The TV presenter, now 68, was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008 and successfully beat the disease. She later rebuilt her life in the United States with her fourth husband, Allen, settling in Connecticut and continuing her broadcasting career. However, that sense of stability was shattered in July 2022 when she discovered the cancer had returned.
This time, the diagnosis was far more serious. Trisha learned she had stage four breast cancer that had spread to her hip and was told it was treatable but not curable. The devastating news followed a traumatic accident at her home, where a fall left her with a shattered femur and in severe pain.
Recalling the moment she found out, Trisha told Closer: “At the hospital, I was off my face on every drug known to man when an intern wandered in and said, ‘Oh, yeah, you’ve got a cancerous tumour.’ That’s how I found out and I said, ‘Am I going to die?’”
Throughout the ordeal, Trisha says her husband Allen, whom she affectionately calls Boo, has been her rock. The couple met in the US in 2017 and married in August 2022, just weeks after her diagnosis. Trisha acknowledges that her illness has echoed painful memories for Allen, whose first wife died from breast cancer, leaving him a single father to two young children.
“I’m lucky to have Allen,” she said. “His first wife died with breast cancer and he was left a single dad of two children aged nine and 11. The first thing I said to him was, ‘I’m sorry to put you through this again.’ He comes to all my appointments and sat with me during chemo. I’m blessed.”
In addition to her husband’s support, Trisha has spoken about the importance of having a wide-ranging medical and emotional care team. She counts a nutritionist, a gastroenterologist, massage therapists and personal trainers among those helping her manage life with cancer. She also sees a specialist psychologist every week to ensure the emotional burden does not fall entirely on her marriage.
“I also see a specialist psychologist every Tuesday, so I don’t dump everything at Allen’s door. I have a support system – that’s the backbone – I’m not Wonder Woman. And not for a moment do I think everyone is as fortunate,” she said.
The care she has received has also inspired her to campaign for improved services in the UK for people living with life-limiting conditions. Trisha recently met with Ashley Dalton MP, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention, who also has metastatic breast cancer, to advocate for better support.
Encouragingly, Trisha says her current treatment is working well. “My cancer counts are very low; my oncologist calls me entry level,” she revealed. Her regime includes regular injections, infusions and a daily pill, alongside a strict commitment to fitness. She power walks daily, trains at the cancer centre gym several times a week and even enjoys ice-skating.
Source: Mirror
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