BBC news presenter Maryam Moshiri reveals she has an incurable blood cancer – and has been undergoing brutal treatment while juggling being on air

BBC news presenter Maryam Moshiri has revealed that she has incurable blood cancer.

The 49-year-old was diagnosed nearly two years ago with Polycythaemia vera (PV), a rare condition that causes bone marrow to continuously create red blood cells which makes the blood become thick like honey.

The cancer cannot be cured, and can cause blood clots, heart attacks and strokes if untreated, but is typically managed like a chronic condition.

Ms Moshiri told The Times the gruelling treatment ‘is better than dying, obviously, of a horrible cancer. But it’s something that you have to get your head around,’ adding that it takes its toll after many years.

The presenter, who has become infamous for various on-air antics including accidentally showing the middle finger while broadcasting, initially learned of her condition from a menopause-related blood test.

Following the discovery of the cancer, she would have more than a pint of blood drawn from her body every month to dilute the red blood cell concentration, which left her feeling sick and exhausted.

Not long after, she was flown to Rome to cover the Pope’s death and ensuing conclave.

‘I was working 14-hour days, constantly on air, constantly having to think on my feet, and holding it together, despite the fact that I had this chronic tiredness and fatigue,’ she said.

Ms Moshiri said the gruelling treatment ‘is better than dying, obviously, of a horrible cancer. But it’s something that you have to get your head around’

But she clarified she does not want her diagnosis to get in the way of her work, adding that ‘a big part of this disease is having to get on with life’.

On her return, she began an immunotherapy treatment at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS trust in London called interferon, which reduced the amount of blood that needed to be drawn.

However, she said she suffered debilitating side effects, like insomnia, headaches and such intense itching she would draw blood from her scratching.

‘During my worst times when I was going through really quite gruelling treatment, I wasn’t there for my kids. I’d be lying on the sofa, and my son would say, “mummy, can you come play football with me in the garden?” And you just can’t. You’re too tired,’ she said.

She added that the first question her children, Iris, 13, Vivienne, 11, and Caspian, 9, that she shares with LatinNews editor-in-chief Jonathan Farmer, asked when she told them of her condition was whether she was going to die. 

Some months later, she switched to a different drug which had more manageable side effects but admitted to having to adjust to a different lifestyle that will be occupied by hospital appointments and medication.

Ms Moshiri is now supporting a new campaign Here for This, by Blood Cancer UK, which highlights the moments sufferers can miss due to the condition.

Helen Rowntree, chief executive of the charity, told The Times: ‘We’re so grateful to Maryam for bravely sharing her story. When public figures speak openly about their diagnosis, it cuts through the silence that so often surrounds blood cancer – the UK’s fifth most common cancer and third biggest cancer killer.

‘We urgently need continued public and government support to fund the next generation of kinder, more effective treatments with fewer side effects so that more people with blood cancer can live well, spend less time dealing with the impact of treatment and be there for the moments that matter.’

Ms Moshiri first caused shock waves in December 2023 when she gestured her middle finger at the camera before reading out the top of the hour headlines.

In an extended video released after the slip up, Ms Moshiri was seen making a series of exaggerated gestures with her hands before reaching ‘one’ and appearing to ‘flip off’ the camera.

The veteran presenter said the gaffe was a ‘private joke’ with crew and issued an apology after the end of the clip was broadcast live.

Since then, she has suffered several other on-air gaffes, like imitating a seagull against her producer’s advice, bending a spoon in relation to a man crushing a frying pan, and jogging on the spot while presenting a segment on daily step-count.