BBC News presenter Maryam Moshiri, 49, has revealed she is living with incurable blood cancer. She told The Times she is undergoing treatment for Polycythaemia vera, a disorder in which bone marrow constantly produces red blood cells. Left untreated, the disease can cause blood clots, strokes, and heart attacks.
Diagnosis and treatment
Maryam was diagnosed two years ago after a menopause-related blood test. She has been receiving immunotherapy since then. Doctors describe the disorder as a chronic condition that can be managed, rather than a rapidly deteriorating illness.
Despite this, treatment has taken a heavy toll on Maryam and her family. She told The Times: “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.”
Continuing to work
Maryam has vowed to keep working, even covering the death of Pope Francis and the ensuing conclave in April 2025, shortly after her diagnosis. “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.
Condition statistics and campaign
Maryam is younger than most people diagnosed with Polycythaemia vera; the average age is 60. Around 15,000 Brits have the condition. Typically, over-60s can survive for another 14 years with the disease, while under-60s can survive another 24 years.
Maryam is now backing a new campaign called Here for This, by Blood Cancer UK, which aims to highlight how the disease impacts everyday life and family moments.
