Coronation Street has confirmed a devastating new storyline in which Kit (Jacob Roberts) is diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer, a disease that affects nearly 500 men in the UK every year. The character, who first appeared in 2024 as Bernie Winter's (Jane Hazlegrove) estranged son, will discover he has the disease after consulting doctors about health concerns unknown to his family and viewers.
Kit's diagnosis and family history
Kit's discovery follows after his family learns they may carry the familial BRCA gene. While mum Bernie and half-sister Gemma (Dolly Rose Campbell) undergo testing, Kit has already been seeking medical advice. With breast cancer not initially crossing his mind, Kit is devastated to learn he has stage 3 breast cancer, presenting a grave threat to his life.
While male breast cancer does exist, it remains uncommon, representing less than 1% of all breast cancer cases. As a result, numerous men are unaware they can develop it, leading to embarrassment, postponed diagnoses, and increased mortality rates.
Storyline details and actor's reaction
In episodes set to air in September, audiences will witness Kit's experience from diagnosis, through denial, to treatment and family dynamics as he grapples with the life-altering news and its implications for him as a man. Upon discovering the storyline, Jacob Roberts said: "I genuinely didn't know that men could get breast cancer and I felt, to make it authentic, that Kit shouldn't know that men can get breast cancer either."
Speaking to the charities and male survivors has been really insightful, lots of men don't know they can get this and for Kit it's that utter disbelief of how can this be? Not only for his age, but how can I have this as a bloke and who else in the family could be affected.
Producer and charity responses
Coronation Street Producer Kate Brooks explains: "This diagnosis absolutely shakes the foundations of Kit's life as he struggles to digest what this means not only for him, but also for his family and loved ones." She added that Kit's vulnerabilities become all too apparent as he wrestles with what this means to his sense of identity, and that while male breast cancer is rare, it's important to show it can happen to anyone.
The production team is collaborating closely with Macmillan Cancer Support and Breast Cancer Now to faithfully depict Kit's cancer. Dany Bell, Cancer Care Strategic Adviser for Macmillan Cancer Support, helped develop the script and said the team has worked tirelessly to represent breast cancer in men accurately and responsibly. Sally Kum, associate director of nursing and health information at Breast Cancer Now, commented that Kit's story serves as a powerful reminder that breast cancer can happen to anyone, and that raising awareness is crucial to encourage men to check their chest regularly and see their GP if they notice new or unusual changes.
