BBC News presenter Maryam Moshiri has revealed she has been diagnosed with an incurable type of blood cancer. The 49-year-old, one of the best-known anchors on the news programme, said she has been undergoing “horrendous” treatment for polycythaemia vera (PV) since her diagnosis in November 2024.
What is polycythaemia vera?
PV is a rare type of cancer which causes the bone marrow to continuously produce red blood cells, thickening the blood. “It is going to be there until the day I die,” she told The Times. “A big part of this disease is having to get on with life.”
Her initial treatment involved having a procedure called a venesection, or phlebotomy, about twice a month, when nearly a pint of blood is removed through a vein to reduce the concentration of red blood cells.
Treatment and side effects
The mother-of-three later began an immunotherapy treatment called interferon, which cut down the number of venesections required but came with “horrendous” side effects, including insomnia, headaches and itching that was “coming from inside” of her. “I was itching until I was bleeding through to my clothes, I have scars all over my stomach from the itching,” she said.
After a few months she was able to switch to a different type of drug with less severe side effects. Moshiri, who joined the BBC in 2003, has continued to work throughout her treatment, including leading the BBC’s coverage of the death of Pope Francis from Rome.
Working through treatment
She said: “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. When you’re doing live news, you have this rush of adrenaline, and you just have to get on with it.”
Moshiri said that although “adjusting to a different life” has been challenging, a future “punctuated by hospital appointments and loads of medication” is better than the alternative. “That is better than dying, obviously, of a horrible cancer,” she said. “But it’s something that you have to get your head around.”
Supporting Blood Cancer UK
Writing on Instagram, Moshiri said she was grateful for the opportunity to “shine a light on my blood cancer in hope it will help others”. She penned: “I’m supporting Blood Cancer UK’s campaign ‘Here for This’ to highlight the moments people with blood cancer can miss because of gruelling treatments, side effects or time spent in hospital, while also celebrating the milestones and moments that research and better treatments make possible. I’m glad to be in a place to share my story. Thanks to my consultants, my family, my friends, my work and everyone who has supported me these last two years.”
She added: “@BloodCancer_UK are here for everyone affected by blood cancer, whether it’s leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma, MDS or like me, MPN. If you’d like to speak to someone, their support line is 0808 2080 888, or head to their website for more information.”
