Chris Capstick and his family are trying to come to terms with his life-changing diagnosis

A dad who thought the ‘cyst’ on his back was from an insect bite at his Greek wedding has instead been given months to live.

Chris Capstick, 41, initially thought his symptoms were minor, after his marriage to Lauren, 30, in Greece in 2022.

For the next six months, Chris, from Bromborough, Merseyside, was in and out of his GP practice as it kept changing colour. Doctors initially told him it was a cyst, a round lump, often filled with fluid or pus. They’re usually harmless and often do not need treatment, but this was not the case with Chris, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Chris said: “I got married in Greece and that’s when we noticed the ‘insect bite’. Doctors told me it was a cyst. I went back several times as it changed colour and started to grow, and they kept saying it was a cyst.

“Then I was in work and it was quite uncomfortable. I got speaking to a colleague who said that her husband had a cyst removed in their GP surgery.

“So I went back and asked the GP if they could remove it, which they did in February 2023. As soon as they removed it, I think they noticed it wasn’t a cyst and sent it off for testing.”

Advertisement

Chris was then diagnosed with stage four melanoma, a form of skin cancer. Stage four means the melanoma has spread to parts of the body away from the original cancer and further than the nearby lymph nodes.

Chris said he was given just a 15% chance of survival, and was sitting with Lauren, who was pregnant at the time, when he received the news. The couple now have three young children together – Isabella, six, Mila, 10, and Nylah, two.

Chris subsequently had his lymph nodes removed. After receiving his diagnosis, he spent 13 months on immunotherapy and was briefly cancer-free at the start of 2025. But just six months later, six tumours were found on Chris’s brain with another six in his body, meaning his cancer was terminal.

Advertisement

Chris said: “I was given 10 to 12 months to live. It was a massive shock for me and the family. We try to stay positive. I’m trying everything. I’m trying red light therapy, oxygen therapy.

“I’ve just done a stint in the hospital, just due to some side effects. My liver enzymes are quite high at the moment, so I’ve not had treatment for two months. We’re trying to get them down via steroids. I’m trying to stay positive which is not always easy.”

Just over a year on from being told he had a year to live. Chris now doesn’t know how long he has left.

Advertisement

He said: “I had six tumours on my brain. Five of the tumours have disappeared, there’s just one left on my brain now, so something’s working, hopefully. At the moment I haven’t got a prognosis of how long I can live.”

Isabella, has written a children’s book, Daddy’s Little Monsters, to help other children understand a parent’s serious illness. Over £630 has been raised so far to print and distribute the book to cancer centres, hospices and Maggie’s Centres across the UK.

READ MORE: Man pulled from water as emergency services descend on Manchester Ship Canal

READ MORE: ‘Like something from a movie’: Neighbours speak of shock as police launch murder probe after woman found dead

Chris said: “We really struggled to explain it to all our children. My wife spent some time with Isabella, and she explained that daddy’s got monsters in his stomach and planned to use medicine to kill them.

“Then she did some sort of art therapy and created the book over six months and published it via Amazon. To date, we’ve sold just shy of 300 copies.

“We’ve dropped copies in Arrowe Park, Clatterbridge, Maggie’s Cancer Centre in Wirral and Lancaster Oncology. It would mean everything (to have the book across the UK). It’s my legacy in a way.”

You can find out more about the fundraiser here.

Ensure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source.

New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez revealed to her followers — and the world — that she was freezing her eggs, sharing a live video on her Instagram story during which she administered a hormone injection to herself ahead of a scheduled Sunday television appearance.

“Usually, I keep my private life quite private, but I have made the decision to start freezing my eggs,” Ocasio-Cortez said in the Saturday night live stream, “and I want to share that with anyone who is — and I want to share this because I was weighing it for a very long time, and I think that, you know, I was saving for it for a very long time, and there just isn’t a ton out there, I feel, and sometimes it can feel very daunting.”

The Democratic congresswoman discussed the preparation involved in the medical procedure and noted that taking her first injection “wasn’t so bad.” She mentioned that she would be administering additional doses in the green room before appearing on ABC’s This Week.

“As women in general, we are not taught about our bodies, we are not prepared for our own lives, whether that is in puberty, whether that is in pregnancy, whether that is in perimenopause, menopause, whether that is in so many different aspects of our lives,” she said.

Reflecting on her public profile and reproductive choices, Ocasio-Cortez explained her rationale for sharing the experience publicly despite the personal nature of the procedure.

“In the political context that we’re in, in an administration that is dedicated to politicizing women’s bodies and taking our choices away from us and punishing us around decisions to be pregnant or not be pregnant — and, frankly, this administration has made pregnancy more dangerous than probably at any point in the last 30 plus years — we’re gonna take our power back,” she said.

She noted that navigating adulthood while serving in Congress presented unique challenges, particularly regarding reproductive decisions and public scrutiny.

“I got sworn into the House of Representatives when I was 29 years old. I was the youngest woman in American history to get elected to congress,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “There’s also this flip side where you have to then grow up in the public eye in a time that most people usually get to grow more privately, and when you get elected later in life you’ve made all of your mistakes in private.”

She also highlighted double standards faced by female politicians regarding family planning and age.

“This is just not something that men deal with. Men run for office, or frankly, they interview for jobs and people don’t think in the back of their mind, ‘OK this guy’s running for office, how old is he? Oh, well is he gonna wanna start a family?’” she said. “This is a choice I am making to feel more in control of my life.”

She acknowledged potential fallout, too.

“I am also aware that there is very strangely a political risk, or even a political tax that could come with sharing this information, and, per usual, that doesn’t influence my ultimate decision,” she said.

Ocasio-Cortez has frequently advocated for reproductive healthcare. Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, she told GQ in a 2022 interview that men also had a stake in reproductive freedom.

“For almost every woman that has gotten an abortion, there’s a man who has either been affected or liberated by that abortion too,” she told the publication at the time.

Her decision to document the fertility treatment drew immediate responses on social media.

Democratic strategist Xochitl Hinojosa praised the disclosure on X, writing: “THIS. We don’t talk about women freezing their eggs or what women have to go through to start a family. Thank you @AOC for your bravery.”

Other commentators reacted critically to the video and its framing.

User @thewakeninq wrote on X: “AOC just injected herself on camera, told everyone ‘don’t be weird,’ then acted shocked when the internet lost its mind. It’s not diabetes. It’s not a baby. It’s her freezing eggs so she can maybe have one later… while spending her entire career fighting to make sure other women can end theirs. The cognitive dissonance is Olympic-level. Don’t be weird? Too late.”

Ocasio-Cortez also briefly discussed the process on ABC’s This Week on Sunday morning.

By CAROLINE PEACOCK, SHOWBUSINESS REPORTER

Published: 19:10 BST, 9 August 2026 | Updated: 20:09 BST, 9 August 2026

EastEnders star Matthew James Morrison has revealed he’s out of work – a year after he was axed from BBC soap.

The actor played Felix Baker for three years and made history during his time in Walford as the man behind Tara Misu, EastEnders’ first regular drag queen character.

He left the soap in 2025 after bosses decided to write his character out of the show.

While he has managed to land theatre roles since his departure, he has now confessed that he is struggling for work.

Advertisement

Appearing on the Missleighdingfortunes podcast, hosted by drag queen Miss Leigh Ding, Matthew shared his reality since leaving the show.

Reflecting on leaving EastEnders, he said: ‘I finished EastEnders and I thought you know, maybe something will come, maybe something might not come.

EastEnders star Matthew James Morrison has revealed he’s out of work – a year after he was axed from BBC soap

Advertisement

The actor played Felix Baker for three years and made history during his time in Walford as the man behind Tara Misu, EastEnders’ first regular drag queen character

‘For a lot of people who’ve left the show since I started, some of them have worked, some of them haven’t worked.’

Matthew told how he did a theatre job in Greenwich, quickly followed by another stage production.

However, after recently finishing a tour, the soap star admitted he is now without another job.

Advertisement

He said: ‘This is the first time since really leaving EastEnders – I finished the tour over a week ago – and I don’t have anything lined up. 

‘It feels like I am stood in the desert just being like what do I do next?’

Matthew then said that he could use the downtime to develop new skills, including learning to ride a horse or mastering another accent. 

Matthew was the sixth cast member to leave the soap last year. 

Advertisement

His character arrived three years ago to great acclaim with Matthew saying at the time: ‘I am blessed to have the opportunity to step into the heels of the fierce Tara Misu as part of my role on EastEnders.’

Matthew was the sixth cast member to leave the soap last year

Fans had criticised the soap for not making use of the character and not giving him a significant storyline after the character later became a barman at The Albert and took more of a backseat role.

EastEnders delivers 3.5 million viewers to BBC1 per episode, but despite spending £87million on a new outdoor set for the show, its loyal viewers fear for its future as it is ‘losing its best actors’.

Advertisement

Expressing their disappointment at the departures last year, one fan said: ‘They are losing all their best actors. It won’t be worth watching shortly.’

Another said: ‘Why are they getting rid of the good actors? I still can’t believe they got rid of Martin.’

A Facebook user wrote: ‘EastEnders is doing my head in getting rid of all the best actors and killing them off. I won’t watch it when they are gone.’ 

And another fan asked: ‘What is it with EastEnders wanting to keep killing people off?’

Advertisement

Around 93 per cent of the sun will disappear on Wednesday night — but Met Office maps show heavy cloud and rain bands sweeping across central and eastern areas right at peak viewing time.

Advertisement

Skywatchers across Northern Ireland are gearing up for Wednesday’s historic solar eclipse, but official Met Office forecast maps show rain showers and thick cloud could spoil peak viewing for much of the region.

On Wednesday, August 12, the Moon will pass directly between the Earth and the Sun, obscuring around 93% of the Sun over Belfast in the deepest eclipse visible from Northern Ireland since August 1999. The spectacle begins shortly after 6:09 PM, reaching maximum coverage at approximately 7:10 PM before concluding around 8:03 PM.

Because the eclipse takes place close to sunset, the Sun will sit low on the west-southwest horizon, meaning clear skies towards the west are essential.

Area-by-area cloud forecast for Northern Ireland at 7:00 PM

Latest Met Office satellite mapping for 7:00 PM reveals a challenging picture for central and eastern areas right as maximum coverage approaches:

• Belfast, Lisburn & Greater Belfast: A band of rain showers and thick cloud (marked in green) sits directly over Belfast, Lisburn, and Crumlin. Darker cloud bands just west of the city could obscure the Sun at the critical 7:10 PM peak.
• Lough Neagh & Mid-Ulster: The heaviest weather feature on the map sits directly over Lough Neagh, bringing dense cloud and heavy rain across Cookstown, Dungannon, and surrounding areas.
• County Down & County Antrim (Ballymena, Larne, Newry): Widespread patchy cloud and scattered showers cover much of the east, making viewing hit-or-miss.
• The West (Derry/Londonderry, Omagh, Enniskillen): Western districts show the best chance of breaks in the weather. Lighter cloud cover around Omagh, Enniskillen, and Derry/Londonderry gives spots like the OM Dark Sky Park a better shot at catching a glimpse through cloud gaps.

Bonus meteor shower later tonight

If cloud gaps clear later in the evening, stargazers are in for a double treat. The eclipse coincides with the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, which could bring dozens of shooting stars to dark-sky locations once night falls.

Eye safety warning

Spectators are strictly warned never to look directly at the Sun without certified eye protection. Ordinary sunglasses will not prevent eye damage. Viewers should use ISO 12312-2 certified eclipse glasses, solar telescope filters, or a safe indirect pinhole projector.

With Cassie Plummer (Claire Sweeney) disappeared in mysterious circumstances, Ross Wilkes (Ian Burfield) is Coronation Street’s new King of Villains. But Fiz Dobbs (Jennie McAlpine) is about to knock him off his throne

Corrie fans said a tearful goodbye to Cassie last after she lost everything when her plan to get rid of Ross spectacularly backfired. Ross caught onto her plan to drug his smoothie to get him out of her life for good.

Her plan to make Ross fail a mandatory drug test for a new job by spiking his smoothy ended in tears when Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford) drank it instead, resulting in immediate hospitalisation.

In that moment, Cassie lost everything that mattered to her on the Cobbles: her boyfriend  Steve McDonald  (Simon Gregson), her son  Tyrone Dobbs (Alan Halsall) and her grandkids.

After choking out a tear-jerking farewell, Cassie was hoofing it out of town when Ross offered her a lift. With no option, Cassie got in his car.

That’s when things got dark.

The subject of their past came up – specifically, how Ross took advantage of a fifteen year old Cassie and paid her for sex, resulting in her falling pregnant with Tyrone. Growing angry, Ross put his foot on the pedal and sped off with a terrified Cassie in the passenger seat.

That was the last we saw of Cassie leaving viewers fearing that she’d been murdered.

Ross might have Tyrone and his family fooled, but Fiz is onto his little game. She confronted Ross with her suspicions last Tuesday in the Rovers’, putting her cards firmly on the table. Fiz knows he lied to Steve about not seeing Cassie before she left, and doesn’t know why he acted all surprised to hear that she’d gone. Although she hasn’t got enough evidence to put all the pieces together just left, Fiz left Ross rattled with a firm warning.

‘If you put one foot out of line, you’re going to be back in Warrington before you know what’s hit you.’

I literally cannot think of a more scary threat.

It seems Fiz might have good reason to make good on her threat in this week’s trip to Coronation Street, where Ross starts to seem shadier than ever.

When Hope Stape (Isabella Flanagan) finds the photo that Fiz gave Cassie in his wallet, Ross is under pressure to make his excuses in front of Tyrone.

He claims that she threw it at him as he was getting out the car, declaring that she’d had a bellyful of the lot of them. While Tyrone grunts that the feeling is mutual, Ross has seemingly shut down his son’s suspicions.

By the look on Fiz’s face however, she smell a rat.

Will she discover what Ross did to Cassie?

MORE: Three dramatic Coronation Street videos as iconic couple are stunned by murder charge

MORE: Are you a true fan? Test your knowledge with Metro’s weekly Soaps quiz!

MORE: Fiz is onto evil Ross in Coronation Street as suspicions mount over ‘dead’ Cassie

An air ambulance, paramedics and police were called to the scene near Deighton on Sunday afternoon (August 9).

Yorkshire Ambulance Service said an air ambulance, road ambulance and two rapid response vehicles attended after it received a report of the crash around 3.45pm.

A service spokesperson said one person was airlifted to Leeds General Infirmary with “suspected multiple fractures”.

The A19 remains closed both ways from Naburn Lane to Howden Lane after the crash.

There is queuing traffic with an eye witness reporting that drivers are being turned around towards Crockey Hill.

North Yorkshire Police has been contacted for comment.

?

Select your team for football news tailored to you

Robert, 78, is preparing to run his third half marathon in a matter of months after heart conditions changed his family’s lives

Robert Mearns is preparing to run his third half marathon in a matter of months after heart conditions changed his family’s lives.

The 78-year-old from Dunmurry will take on the Belfast Half Marathon this September, following runs at Hillsborough and Lisburn.

It’s all been inspired by his wife Iris, who has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), and by Robert’s own diagnosis of atrial fibrillation. He will also raise funds and awareness for the British Heart Foundation Northern Ireland.

HCM is a mostly genetic condition where the heart’s muscular wall thickens, which can make it harder for the heart to pump blood around the body. Atrial fibrillation is a common abnormal heart rhythm that causes the heart to beat irregularly and often too fast.

Robert, who was brought up in Belfast and studied at Queen’s University, spent many years working in the private sector before devoting his life to missionary and community work across Europe, Africa, India, Mexico and America.

He has travelled to 25 nations through his work and spent 30 years living in the United States with his wife and three children, Simon, Grace and Alan, before Robert and Iris returned to Northern Ireland five years ago.

Ten years ago, Robert, who was living in North Carolina, woke in the middle of the night at home to find Iris had suffered a cardiac arrest.

He said: “My wife and I were asleep in bed and I heard a thump on the wooden floor. My wife had a cardiac arrest and she stopped breathing. If I hadn’t woken, she wouldn’t have survived.

“I remember it vividly as the most traumatic thing that has ever happened to me. I’ve been in some very difficult situations in Africa with my missionary work, but nothing could prepare you for waking up to that.”

Their daughter Grace quickly called the emergency services and started CPR until paramedics arrived. Iris was taken to hospital, where she was placed in an induced coma for 11 days.

Robert said: “Against all odds, Iris woke up and thankfully her brain function was normal. The nurses looking after her just wept with the family. We were all in such shock and so thankful. It really was a miracle.”

Advertisement

Iris, who had not experienced symptoms before her cardiac arrest, was diagnosed with HCM and later had a pacemaker and implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) fitted.

Since then, Robert and Iris’s children have been tested, with their eldest son Simon also diagnosed with HCM. Simon also now has a defibrillator and pacemaker fitted, and the family’s grandchildren are being tested for the genetic condition.

Robert is now a carer for Iris, who along with HCM, has rheumatoid arthritis, and says running gives him focus, purpose and a way to give back.

Advertisement

He said: “Iris travelled all over the world with me, but now my world has to be compressed as a carer and Iris is my priority. I see her care as entrusted to me and she will always be loved and cared for by her family. I was diagnosed in 2022 with atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat. I’m aware of it and make sure I train well for any event I do.

“With cardiovascular conditions affecting my entire family, I have a vested interest in heart research and the work of BHF. I want to share my story to raise awareness of the impact of cardiovascular disease and support funding of research into treatments and cures.”

Robert added: “We don’t form good character by everything going our way in life; we form it by facing the challenges. Running for Iris and for everyone living with cardiovascular disease will take my feet to the finish line.”

The Belfast Half Marathon takes place on September 20 and is Northern Ireland’s biggest half marathon event. Those interested in running for BHF Northern Ireland can sign up before 17 August by contacting April Davidson on davidsona@bhf.org.uk.

Advertisement

To donate to Robert’s fundraising page, visit: https://eventmaster.ie/fundraising/pages/RM94666591.

Want to see more of the stories you love from Belfast Live? Making us your preferred source on Google means you’ll get more of our exclusives, top stories and must-read content straight away. To add Belfast Live as a preferred source, simply click here.