TV presenter Johnny Ball has revealed he was treated for prostate cancer and is now “fine”, according to reports. The 85-year-old, father of BBC Radio 2 DJ Zoe Ball, said he received daily radiation treatment for three months following his diagnosis in August 2022.
Ball told the Mirror: “I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in August 2022 and, thankfully, after three months of daily radiation treatment, starting in the September, I’m through it, I’m fine.” He added that friends including Harry Secombe and Bob Monkhouse did not survive the disease, but that he is “20 years younger than them and lucky, because now we can cure it”.
Ball, known for presenting Play School and Think Of A Number, also appeared on More4’s The Baby Boomers’ Guide To Growing Old and 5’s The Terry And Gaby Show. He was the first celebrity to be voted off Strictly Come Dancing in 2012. His ex-wife and Zoe’s mother, Julia Peckham, died last year after a cancer diagnosis.
The entertainer shared details of his health routine, which includes a two-and-a-half-minute bending and stretching session followed by lifting two 2kg dumbbells for the same duration. He said: “My daily routine is six to seven minutes at the most, but it keeps me incredibly fit.” For breakfast, he has cereal with prunes, and every night he drinks two pints of beer, never more, as his wife Dianne can tell if he has had extra.
