Bill Turnbull has said that inspiring men to get tested for prostate cancer by publicly revealing his own diagnosis is the “one useful thing” he has done in his life.
He and actor Stephen Fry have been praised for raising awareness by talking about their own experiences with the disease.
NHS bosses have dubbed it “the Turnbull-Fry effect”.
On his former TV show, BBC Breakfast, Turnbull, 62, was introduced to Carl Skinner, who saw a doctor after his daughter noticed that he had the same symptoms as the broadcaster.
The pair wanted to thank Turnbull, as Mr Skinner is now undergoing treatment and could be given the all-clear.
This is how @billtu and @stephenfry are helping to save the lives of men with prostate cancer:#TurnbullFryeffect #prostatecancer pic.twitter.com/GBVs0MEnoA
— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) December 21, 2018
Turnbull told BBC Breakfast: “It’s very heart-warming when people get in touch, and I think, well, I have done at least one useful thing in my life.”
The ex-BBC Breakfast host’s cancer is incurable but he has been told that, with the right care, he could have another 10 years to live.
He sent a message of hope to other people who are diagnosed, saying: “You have a few days where you’re in shock and then you have a few weeks which are pretty dark.
“On this day, when people are watching this on television, there will be hundreds of people in Britain who will get a diagnosis.
“All I can say to them is hold tight, and things will – they won’t get better, but it won’t be quite as dark as it is now.”
Just as it does for over 47000 UK men every year, prostate cancer happened to me. Mercifully it was caught and treated early, I’m recovering. It’s important to know your risk. Do talk to your GP or contact @ProstateUK for support if you have concerns. https://t.co/HXUNRtPwm8 pic.twitter.com/7VdfdVrC36
— Stephen Fry (@stephenfry) March 2, 2018
The Classic FM presenter and father-of-three said that men put off seeing a doctor.
“We don’t want to waste the doctor’s time. We don’t want to waste our time. We don’t like going to the surgery – why would we do that? … Now, of course, I’m a season ticket-holder in my local surgery,” he said.
Mr Skinner’s daughter, Lisa, thanked Turnbull for going public with his diagnosis, saying: “It was a really brave thing that you did. We feel hugely indebted to you.”
Turnbull replied: “It was just something I thought was the right thing to do at the time.”
The presenter announced that he had been diagnosed with an advanced form of the disease in March, just weeks after Fry revealed he was recovering from prostate cancer surgery.