BBC presenter Lauren Laverne has provided a health update following her cancer treatment. The broadcaster's decision to undergo screening in 2024, despite experiencing no symptoms, may well have saved her life.
Lauren became increasingly conscious of her wellbeing after losing her mother, Celia, to cancer in June 2022.
In a heartfelt Instagram post published in August 2024, the 47-year-old disclosed she had commenced cancer treatment after the disease was identified early through a routine screening test.
Accompanying a hospital photograph, she wrote: "It was (thank God) caught early and unexpectedly during a screening test and I am expected to make a full recovery. I'm in hospital at the moment and wanted to take this moment to say thank you: Firstly to the medical teams who have got me this far with incredible skill and kindness.
"To my family and friends who have been absolutely extraordinary every step of the way - I am so very grateful and love you so much. And of course thank you to my colleagues", reports the Mirror.
Following several months away from broadcasting duties whilst receiving medical treatment, the Desert Island Discs host subsequently announced she had received the all-clear.
Looking back on her journey to restored health, the BBC star described 2025 as "a year of recovery".
"Cancer surgery had left me unable to do many things that made me, me," she told Good Housekeeping Magazine. "My active life of work, running around after my family, exercising, socialising and being out and about disappeared overnight and I was sofa-bound or months."
Providing a further update on her health, she added: "I'm still on the journey of reclaiming activities and experiences, ticking off 'first since' moments.
"The last thing I want to do in 2026 is embark on a self-flagellating self-improvement boot camp."
Previously discussing her health ordeal, Lauren mentioned that she was too poorly" to engage in everyday activities such as reading or watching television, while recuperating at home.
"There was something magical about concentrating completely on the sound, allowing myself to feel how astoundingly lucky I was to be there at all, witnessing an ordinary miracle," she shared in a previous edition of the magazine.
As she adjusted to being back home with her family, she stated: "I reclaimed the house a room at a time."
Lauren has since returned to her work commitments, including presenting the BBC's coverage of Glastonbury Festival last year and recent editions of The One Show.
What the NHS says about cancer testing.
Screening procedures are designed to detect early signs of cancer in asymptomatic individuals, and this could potentially save lives.
You might be eligible for genetic testing on the NHS to assess your risk of cancer if:.
Each type of cancer has its own unique symptoms. However, general symptoms that could indicate cancer include:
- Losing weight without trying or feeling less hungry than usual
- Needing to pee more often or more urgently, or pain when you pee
- Unusual bruising or bleeding (such as bleeding from your bottom, blood in your pee or vomiting blood)
- Pain anywhere in your body that's not usual for you
- Sweating a lot (particularly at night) or a high temperature that lasts a long time or keeps coming back
- Feeling more tired than usual
- A new lump or swelling anywhere on your body
If you observe any changes in your health that worry you, it's crucial to consult with your doctor.