Martin Roberts: ‘I felt pain first hand’ – star on three ‘critical’ early signs of cancer
Strictly the Real Full Monty: Martin Roberts gets emotional
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The 58-year-old, who is best recognised for hosting Homes Under the Hammer, said he was “terrified” of getting naked in front of millions of TV viewers, but wanted to do it to honour his late friend Dave and Dave’s family. Speaking about why he signed up for the show, Martin said: “It’s not really about the stripping off, it’s all about cancer awareness. I unfortunately lost my best mate to bowel cancer four years ago.” Since Dave’s death, Martin said that he has felt “rudderless”.
In December last year, the presenter told The Mirror he doesn’t feel his age. Martin went on to say that when Dave, who was the same age as him at the time, died from bowel cancer, his world was turned on its head.
“I don’t feel my age. Well, apart from the creaking joints and the shifting of hair growth,” Martin remarked.
“Inside, I’m a 20-year-old with a lifetime of fun and frolics ahead. Then something happens that stops you in your tracks and turns your world on its head.
“In an instant my Peter Pan was eaten by the alligator and my Neverland was literally destroyed.”
At the time, Martin hoped that Dave’s cancer would have been caught earlier enough that treatment could have rid him of the condition, but when he asked his friend the inevitable “You’ll be OK, right?” Dave stayed silent.
“Two years later, Dave died. Bowel cancer, diagnosed a critical time too late, had spread to other organs, and the best man at my wedding, my confidante, my rock and sounding board, my best buddy was cruelly yanked from my life and the life of all those who loved him – including his wife Sarah and their two teenage daughters,” Martin explained.
“Sarah is convinced he’d still be here if he’d gone to the doctors the first time he noticed blood in his poo. But like many blokes, he procrastinated.
“And he didn’t push for more checks when he finally visited the doctors and was told that everything was ‘fine’, knowing in himself that by that time, things really weren’t.”
Bowel cancer is a general term used to describe cancer that begins in the large bowel. According to the NHS it is one of the most common types of cancer diagnosed in the UK, with most people over the age of 60.
The three main symptoms of bowel cancer are:
- Persistent blood in your poo – that happens for no obvious reason or is associated with a change in bowel habit
- A persistent change in your bowel habit – which is usually having to poo more and your poo may also become more runny
- Persistent lower abdominal (tummy) pain, bloating or discomfort – that’s always caused by eating and may be associated with loss of appetite or significant unintentional weight loss.
The NHS says most individuals with these symptoms do not have bowel cancer, with other health problems such as haemorrhoids also causing similar symptoms. But it is critical to get checked by a GP if symptoms persist for three weeks or more.
Speaking plainly during the interview, Martin discussed his heartbreaking loss: “I did what I could to help Dave’s two-year battle with cancer.
“He tried anything and everything to stop its spread, and he remained positive and incredibly strong for all those around him, dealing with pain and suffering in a selfless and non-dramatic way.
“I felt the pain first-hand in terms of what it felt like to lose a loved one and you know the best mate,” he explained.
In order to detect bowel cancer, individuals need to have a bowel cancer screening. To detect cases of bowel cancer sooner, everyone aged 60 to 74 who is registered with a GP and lives in England is automatically sent a bowel cancer screening home test kit every two years.
A sample of their poo can then be sent to a lab where it is checked for tiny amounts of blood. This enables medical professionals to check if an individual has bowel cancer or a polyp – a growth in the bowel or colon that can turn cancerous.
Once diagnosed with bowel cancer, treatment options depend on where the cancer is and how far it has spread. A combination of different treatments are typically used.
These include:
- Surgery – the cancerous section of bowel is removed; it’s the most effective way of curing bowel cancer and in many cases is all you need
- Chemotherapy – where medicine is used to kill cancer cells
- Radiotherapy – where radiation is used to kill cancer cells
- Targeted therapies – a newer group of medicines that increases the effectiveness of chemotherapy and prevents the cancer spreading.
After the ordeal of losing his best friend, and trying to raise as much awareness of conditions such as prostate and bowel cancer, through taking part in the Full Monty, Martin added: “When the idea of going to the doctor and I mean some bl***y doctor sticking their finger up your bum – which is what blokes think right?
“It’s like, ‘No, bl***y way am I gonna do that?’. But, you know, I tell you what, it’s better than the other option which is to die.”
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