Chris Stark opens up on testicular cancer diagnosis in emotional return to Capital Breakfast show

The Independent

10 months ago

Chris Stark opens up on testicular cancer diagnosis in emotional return to Capital Breakfast showSource: Capital UK

Transcript

00:00Look, I need to catch people up. So I did, I put something on Instagram last night, but not really

00:06had a chance to talk about this yet. And that's been the lovely thing. I've been really looking

00:09forward to getting back to the radio and seeing you guys. I love doing the radio. It's my favorite

00:14thing to do in the world. So it's just really good to be back, firstly, back with you guys,

00:19doing what we do. But yeah, I do have a bit of news to share. And I whacked up on Instagram last

00:25night, and I'm staggered by the response that has been to that. Overwhelmed. But yeah, look,

00:31last couple of months, I've been dealing with a few things personally, and the guys here have

00:35known about it. And everyone's been so, so supportive. So firstly, just want to say thank

00:39you to you guys. But yeah, about two months ago now, I got diagnosed with testicular cancer.

00:46And this is a really heavy thing. And I'm aware of that. We're on the radio to try and make you

00:49feel a bit better about your lives. And we're part of your routine. So if you don't mind just

00:54humoring me for a couple of minutes, just whilst I share this. And I imagine we're going to talk

00:57about this a bit throughout the show. But yeah, I got diagnosed with that. So there's been lots

01:01of doctor's appointments. I had some surgery at one point. I came back from that surgery,

01:05maybe a little earlier than I should, which will explain some of the 6am.

01:10That was a great week.

01:13I don't know why you came in looking back on that Monday.

01:16Well, this is what I've been telling everyone, because you are such a trooper. Like I've never

01:19known anyone like it. Like you genuinely don't make a fuss about anything. And this is what has

01:24been incredible, Chris, is that you were going through all of that and nobody would have known.

01:28Yeah. And so look, last week, I made a decision to have chemotherapy as well. And the idea of that

01:35was to kind of increase the chances of it not coming back.

01:41Yes.

01:41Yeah. So it's preventative rather than curing anything. But yeah, that's where I've been for

01:45the last 10 days or so. I've been having chemotherapy, which is rubbish, and it's

01:49horrible. But a lot of people go through this, and I'm very aware of that. And so I've made a

01:57decision that I want to talk about it, because I think there is a bit of a stigma around this

02:01kind of thing. I think it's quite a hard thing to talk about, given the area that it's in.

02:05But testicular cancer is so treatable. And it's really common in men aged 18 to 49.

02:13Is it really?

02:14And this blew my mind when I found out about it. So I think it's really important to talk about it.

02:20And if it means that me kind of being honest about what I've gone through and sharing that

02:26experience, I'm happy to do it if it means that that conversation is a bit more easier

02:31for other blokes. And maybe it will encourage some people to go check themselves, because I

02:35didn't do that properly. And I feel like an idiot for that. I feel like I put my family at risk.

02:39I feel like I put a lot of personal stuff at risk. And I really regret that. It really annoys

02:44me. So I just want to encourage people to go check themselves. And if that potentially leads

02:49to some good from this situation, then I'm really happy to put my one ball on the line.

02:58Honestly, the way you have handled this entire thing with bravery and humour has been so

03:06admirable. I couldn't respect you any more. No, and we've all got tears in our eyes here.

03:12And we absolutely love you to bits. And I cannot tell you how many messages are coming in. I don't

03:17know if you should read the message because you should read them. It means a lot. And obviously,

03:22look, we've got a whole show here. We can talk about things throughout it. But look,

03:26thank you so much for the support and back stronger and all that.

03:29Yes, exactly. Crystal, we love you. And it's so, so good to have you back.

Chris Stark opens up on testicular cancer diagnosis in emotional return to Capital Breakfast show

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