Clare Balding was diagnosed with thyroid cancer after spotting a lump on her throat while she was presenting on television
Clare Balding has opened up about a devastating health battle(Image: Simon M Bruty/Getty Images)
Clare Balding has admitted she was “lucky” after opening up about a devastating health diagnosis. The 54-year-old revealed she discovered a “large lump” on her throat back in December 2008.
The presenter noticed the lump whilst watching herself on television. A visit to her family GP revealed Clare had thyroid cancer and would need surgery.
She went on to have three operations and underwent a round of radioactive iodine therapy, reports Wales Online. Clare had a cyst, her thyroid gland and a lymph node removed.
The Celebrity Traitors star says she experienced a “dark stage” following the diagnosis as she worried about the impact it might have on her career. According to the NHS, thyroid cancer can cause difficulty swallowing and a hoarse throat if left untreated.
However, Clare was given the all-clear in 2010 and has seen her career flourish ever since. Speaking to Yours magazine, she has now disclosed she felt “lucky” to have recovered following the health battle.
Clare was diagnosed with thyroid cancer
She said: “In December 2008, I noticed a large lump on my throat. The tests revealed thyroid cancer. I was lucky.
“Three operations and a round of radioactive iodine therapy and it was gone. The upside was that it made me more determined than ever to grab every opportunity with both hands to live life to the full.”
Clare, who lives with wife Alice Arnold, previously spoke about her diagnosis on the Stick to Rugby podcast.
She explained: “It was an odd one because I hadn’t noticed feeling any different.
“I was doing the show jumping at Christmas when it was at Olympia and I recorded an opening link, and I was watching it back on the monitor as we were about to go live.
Balding and Arnold have been together for over 20 years
“I was looking at the mirror and I saw this lump on my neck, a big lump. I thought, ‘Wow, that’s really weird, where has that come from?’ I went home for Christmas and my sister-in-law’s Welsh grandfather was a doctor, and he looked at it. He was still a practising GP and he said that I’d better go to the doctor. He took Alice to one side and said, ‘Make sure she goes’.
“Between Christmas and New Year, when the doctor’s surgery was open, I went and the GP did some tests and he sent me to a specialist. They came back and said, ‘You’ve got thyroid cancer’ and they had to operate.”
Clare revealed she was left with a “cracking scar” but was initially concerned that surgeons might damage her vocal cords.
She continued: “I came back and was commentating on the tennis for the radio and I couldn’t hit the notes, the vocal cords weren’t meeting properly.
“Anyway, it came back and I was all fine and I got my bass notes back – but that was all I was worried about. I then had radioactive iodine therapy, but that’s all right, because it’s not as bad as chemo.”
