Restaurant critic Giles Coren reveals prostate cancer diagnosis
Writing in his column for The Times, the 55-year-old said urology nurses had taken a biopsy before informing him they had found 'some cancer' but that 'no treatment would be necessary for the moment'.
'In the very week that it was announced on the front page of The Times that prostate cancer is now the commonest cancer in England … I have been diagnosed with it!' he wrote.
#ProstateCancer has become the most common cancer in England.
However, for a disease that affects 1 in 8 men, there's still no screening programme and outdated NHS guidelines prevent lifesaving conversations with men at highest risk.
➡️ Read more: https://t.co/wvVi5jbS0P pic.twitter.com/KUh0oY1H0R
— Prostate Cancer UK (@ProstateUK) January 28, 2025
Earlier in the week charity Prostate Cancer UK said diagnoses of the disease had overtaken breast cancer in 2022 and 2023, making it England's most common cancer.
TV star and writer Coren, who is the brother of Only Connect presenter Victoria Coren Mitchell, said his 'delightful journey started a couple of years ago'.
'I had to demand, literally demand, a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test along with my annual cholesterol check, because not only is it not mandatory on the NHS but your GP is not even allowed to suggest it unless you have symptoms,' he claimed.
The NHS website says a PSA test checks the level of prostate specific antigen in your blood, with high levels indicating a potential prostate condition.
Coren said the test 'came back a bit high' and revealed he had only asked for it because of the work done by celebrities including Stephen Fry, the late Bill Turnbull – and more recently Sir Chris Hoy, who revealed his prostate cancer was terminal in 2024.
Prostate Cancer UK says 'normal' PSA levels are usually less than 3ng/ml but adds that this varies, with levels depending on factors such as age and medication use.
After his test presented a score of four Coren was sent for an MRI scan, which he said 'came back 'meh', not definitely cancer but not definitely not cancer'.
They then offered him a biopsy which he declined until his PSA level went up to seven.
After the procedure one of the urology nurses phoned him to present the results and said they had found cancer – 'but less than a millimetre in just three of the 21 samples'.
According to Coren they said 'that no treatment would be necessary for the moment. Just monitoring'.
Coren has presented on TV shows including BBC Two programme Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond The Lobby.
He also presented BBC Radio 4's Front Row for one series.
His debut novel, Winkler, won the Bad Sex In Fiction Award in 2005.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Dermot Murnaghan 'fell through the cracks' with prostate cancer diagnosis
Former Sky News presenter Dermot Murnaghan has said he "fell through the gaps" with his prostate cancer diagnosis, calling it a "massive wake-up call". He revealed last month , meaning it has spread to other areas of the body. However, he said he was responding positively to treatment. Speaking at an event for Prostate Cancer UK, Murnaghan urged men to get tested - and to insist on one if they're in a high-risk group. "For years I thought 'that will do me'. I'm getting tested basically once a year or every couple of years," he said. "It never occurred to me that they weren't testing for PSA (prostate-specific antigen) and I never went to my GP because I was getting other tests privately through the production company. "So that's how I fell through the gaps and that's how I had a massive wake-up call and want to share the message." A PSA test is a blood test that can indicate if there's a potential problem with the prostate but there's currently no national screening programme. The NHS says men over 50 can ask their GP for one, and Murnaghan, who's 67, said some people below that age should also push for one. "You can get to the stage I have with no symptoms," he said. "Get the test, insist on the test. You can insist on the test if you are in a high-risk group and under 50. If you are not, I'd still get the test at 50." Read more from Sky News: Murnaghan - who worked at Sky News for 16 years - added: "Go to your GP and they say you don't need it, but say 'but I want it'. It is your right to have it. "Just keep doing that every year or couple of years. Once you've got that marker where your PSA is, keep monitoring it. "The earlier you find prostate the easier it is to treat, so check your risk in just 30 seconds with Prostate Cancer UK's to see if you are at risk and what you can choose to do about it." Those at higher-risk of prostate cancer include men over 50, black men and people with a family history of the disease. Murnaghan is currently preparing for a charity bike ride in September, the Tour de 4, organised by Sir Chris Hoy - who revealed last year.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Why the UK is lagging behind other countries on measles vaccinations
The UK is the worst-performing G7 country for coverage of measles vaccines, as rates lag behind Europe, with experts warning declining health budgets and the spread of misinformation are putting children at risk. Now, health officials in the UK have sounded the alarm over our waning vaccine coverage after a child with measles died in Liverpool. On Monday, health secretary Wes Streeting said that the child's death shows the nation needs to 'redouble its efforts' to vaccinate more children and said improvements promised in the NHS's 10-year plan, such as giving parents access to digital health records, could help. One expert told The Independent a multitude of issues have impacted the UK's measles vaccination rates, including declining public health budgets, lower access to GP services, and the increased circulation of misinformation on social media. Data published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the charity UNICEF estimates the UK has just 89 per cent coverage of the first measles vaccine in 2024 and 85 per cent coverage of the second dose. This is down from 93 per cent a decade earlier and well below WHO target of 95 per cent, which it said is needed to effectively eliminate the spread of the disease in the community. And we're lagging well behind our G& counterparts, with vaccine rates in Germany the highest (96 per cent), Italy and France (95 per cent) and Japan (94 per cent)/. The organisations warned that the global rates of childhood vaccinations are falling, with 30 million children unvaccinated. Rates of the first MMR vaccine across the UK have been in decline since 2014. An analysis by the Nuffield Trust of 2023-24 data shows England lags behind Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland on coverage of this vaccine. Within England, London has the worst coverage by far, with just 81 per cent of children having received a first course by their second birthday. Data as of June 2025 shows that the capital accounted for 44 per cent of all measles cases. Measles is a highly contagious, serious airborne disease caused by a virus that can lead to severe complications and death. Dr Connor Bamford, Virologist, Queen's University Belfast, explained: 'Various conditions can make individuals more vulnerable to severe measles. This may include immunosuppressed individuals undergoing cancer treatment for example who, because of their condition, have lost immunity to the virus, even if they have been vaccinated." He said: "We do see children and adults dying from measles in the UK and the last young person who died was reported in 2024. In 2023, we saw another child die of a disease called SSPE (subacute sclerosing panencephalitis), which is a fatal complication of measles that occurs years after an earlier infection. In 2023 two adults also died." In the UK, immunisation against it is typically given as part of the MMR vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella. According to the NHS, around 99 per cent of people who receive the MMR vaccine will be protected against measles and rubella. Meanwhile, around 88 per cent will be protected against mumps, and anyone who does get it after vaccination will experience milder symptoms. According to the Nuffield Trust, uptake of the MMR vaccine decreased significantly following a now discredited article by Dr Andrew Wakefield in 1998, which linked MMR vaccination to autism. By 2003-04 uptake of the vaccine had dropped to 80 per cent. However, coverage then improved and hit 93 per cent in 2013-14, before dropping again to 89 per cent in 2023-24. A recent survey by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) suggested that overall, parents in the UK have a high level of confidence that vaccines work for children, with 87 per cent of those surveyed having agreed with this. However, vaccine coverage for MMR and other key childhood vaccines has declined in recent years, and now health officials are urging parents to get their children vaccinated. Speaking with The Independent, Adam Finn, Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Bristol, and a member of the government's Joint Vaccinations and Immunisations Committee, explained there were several factors, including the fact that there has been a general decline in immunisation over the past 15 years, which had initially been ignored. He said: 'The public health authority officials favour the idea that it's because there's been a waning of resource in the health service to deliver the vaccine programme, so as primary care in particular has become more stretched the capacity to chase people up and go after the people that are otherwise not getting their act together has disappeared and that's resulted in the vulnerable edge getting worse and worse.' 'The competing hypothesis, which is quite convenient for the politicians, is that it's mad internet misinformation, and in a sense, people are somehow to blame for believing it and that it's not really a governmental problem, it's myth and legend, as it were.' 'My view is that those two things are not mutually exclusive.' He said while there are a group of parents and people who avoid vaccination, there are another group who don't do it because they're not aware, or it's not high up on their priority list. The professor of paediatrics also suggested that vaccines, such as MMR, were a victim of their own success, with the public no longer having a living memory of the severe and life-threatening impacts of the disease. In the 1960s, people would've queued around the block to get their children immunised because they were afraid of them dying of those diseases where whereas now they've never heard of them, he said. One key solution is enabling healthcare workers, such as GPs or health visitors, to have conversations around vaccines with parents, says Professor Finn. 'The government has come in with a mission to solve the problem of the under-resourced health service and has emphasised the way it wants to do that is to stop people from getting ill rather than build more hospitals. 'And one of the most obvious and effective, proven and countable ways of doing that is to ensure vaccine programmes are delivered, and so I think it should be a fairly open and closed argument that this is where Wes Streeting needs to put his money.' Where access to GPs and health visitors is an issue, experts have suggested expanding the list of places where parents can get vaccines, and information about them could help. Malcolm Harrison, Chief Executive of the Company Chemists' Association (CCA), has suggested pharmacies could assist. He said last year, a pilot in the North West of England allowed children aged 5 to 11 who had missed doses to get the MMR vaccine at their local pharmacy for the first time. Experts have also suggested that schools could be an important place for children's vaccines to be accessed.
Forbes
3 hours ago
- Forbes
Burnout: It's A Systemic Signal And A Call To Lead Differently
Dr. Sunil Kumar, Lifestyle Medicine Physician, Executive Health Coach & Burnout Reset Expert. Creator of the PREP™ Protocol. Burnout is often misunderstood as a personal weakness. It's a predictable response to sustained, unmanaged stress in environments that deplete more than they replenish. It is not a sign of incompetence, but a signal, a flashing warning light on the dashboard of modern professional life. As a physician, executive health coach and founder of the PREP Protocol, I've witnessed the toll burnout takes on brilliant, committed individuals. From hospital corridors to corporate boardrooms, high achievers are quietly burning out while systems mistake performance for well-being, until it's too late. The solution is not just resilience training or time off. It's a shift in how we define health, leadership and productivity. It starts with recognizing burnout for what it is: a systemic issue, not a personal flaw. The Scale Of The Problem The World Health Organization defines burnout as an occupational phenomenon, marked by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced professional efficacy. It's not just a healthcare problem. Gallup research from 2020 shows that 76% of employees experience burnout at least sometimes, with 28% reporting it 'very often' or 'always.' In the U.K.'s National Health Service (NHS), burnout is a leading cause of long-term sickness absence, with stress-related leave costing billions annually. Globally, it's linked to rising turnover, lower engagement and increased medical errors. Yet despite the data, most responses remain surface-level: wellness webinars, gym discounts or mindfulness apps—all useful but insufficient when the root cause lies deeper. The Burnout Fallacy: Blaming The Individual Too often, burnout is framed as an individual failure: a time-management issue, a lack of gratitude or poor emotional regulation. The truth? People aren't burning out because they're weak—they're burning out because they're doing too much, with too little recovery, in systems that reward overextension. We don't need to fix the people. We need to fix the culture. That means addressing the deeper drivers: • Chronic overwork and poor boundaries • Lack of autonomy and misaligned values • Toxic leadership and unspoken expectations • Emotional suppression and disconnection from purpose A New Model: The PREP Protocol In response, I created the PREP Protocol—a four-phase system designed to prevent, navigate and recover from burnout. It integrates the science of lifestyle medicine, behavioral psychology, neuroscience and coaching. This phase is about early detection and proactive resilience. We use validated tools to assess energy levels, stress response and signs of overload. Micro-habits such as sleep hygiene, circadian rhythm alignment, breathwork and digital boundaries are introduced to build a personal "energy bank." Burnout affects the nervous system, not just the mind. In this phase, we address maladaptive coping mechanisms (like overworking, emotional detachment or addictive behaviours) and introduce cognitive restructuring, somatic regulation and trauma-informed strategies. Tools like heart rate variability tracking and polyvagal practices support nervous system healing. This phase focuses on rediscovering purpose, meaning and identity. Often, burnout disconnects us from why we started. We use coaching techniques to realign personal values, strengthen emotional intelligence and rebuild healthy relationships. Reflection, storytelling and journaling tools help clients reconnect with their deeper 'why.' Burnout recovery isn't just about rest—it's about redesign. This final phase is about creating rhythms that support long-term, sustainable performance. Techniques include energy mapping, time-blocking and redefining success beyond metrics. Clients learn to live and lead in alignment with their values, not just their to-do lists. The Science Behind It The PREP model is rooted in evidence. For example: • Sleep And Stress: Chronic sleep deprivation is linked to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation, a key factor in burnout. • Purpose And Longevity: Studies show that having a strong sense of purpose is associated with a lower risk of stroke, depression and mortality. • Autonomic Recovery: Somatic practices like diaphragmatic breathing, grounding and heart-focused meditation have been shown to restore vagal tone and reduce cortisol levels. The integration of lifestyle medicine principles such as nutrition, movement, social connection, stress mastery and restorative sleep is no longer optional. It's essential to recovering health and sustaining performance. Leadership's Role: Culture Is The Cure Leaders often ask: What can I do to prevent burnout on my team? Start here: • Model Boundaries: Don't glorify overwork. Celebrate recovery. • Encourage Psychological Safety: Create space for difficult conversations. • Align Work With Values: People need meaning, not just tasks. • Prioritize Well-Being Infrastructure: Build it into the workflow, not after-hours. Burnout-proofing isn't a luxury. It's a strategic imperative for retention, creativity and trust. From Burnout To Balance: A New Definition Of Success We need to move from hustle to health. From output to impact. From burnout to balance. True success isn't constant productivity—it's aligned contribution. It's when your work sustains you instead of draining you. When your calendar reflects your values and your energy matches your mission. That's the future we're building, one professional, one organization, one reset at a time. Final Thoughts If you're burned out, know this: You are not broken. You are responding intelligently to a system that was never designed for your well-being. Burnout is not your identity. It's your feedback. And feedback is the beginning of change. Let's stop asking people to be more resilient in toxic systems. Let's create systems that no longer make people sick. Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches. Do I qualify?
