BBC presenter Clare Balding has shared a heartbreaking confession about life being short following her thyroid cancer diagnosis. The Wimbledon host, 55, said her outlook was shaped by doctors telling her in 2008 that she had cancer, and now, after receiving a letter from her consultant, she has reflected on the lessons she learned.
Clare was watching back a clip of herself at the Olympia International Horse Show in December 2008 when she noticed a lump on her neck and was urged to get it checked by a doctor. Clare underwent surgery and radioactive iodine therapy, a treatment plan which thankfully proved successful.
Life Lessons After Diagnosis
Clare explained in a new interview with Saga Magazine this week that the diagnosis “made me realise fairly young that we don’t all get as long as we think we’ll have.” She said: “So, do the things you want to do, make the most of them, and don’t leave anything behind. I love the various challenges I’ve taken on – and there’s plenty more to come.”
Nevertheless, Clare has already opened up about plans for her own funeral. She said: “The Black Beauty theme music is very strong in my head. I’ve always said I want it at my funeral. I can sort of imagine galloping off the planet, off the earth, to that music.”
Body Image and Family Reflections
Clare also opened up about the body image struggles associated with athletics, admitting her career as an amateur jockey was “not the healthiest profession in that sense”. She explained: “I think it’s made me sensitive to people’s body image. A lot of people have issues with weight or their body confidence.”
“There are lots of sports where you have to maintain a lower weight than you’d like to, and every sport involves being careful with diet. Understanding that is a good thing as a presenter. I appreciate what people go through for a professional career.”
In the same interview, Clare opened up about the death of her father, racehorse trainer Ian Balding. She said: “As a father, I don’t think parenting was necessarily something he understood, but he was always great fun. And, as he got older, he mellowed and was much more inclined to say how proud he was of us and how much he loved us.”
“And he was very fond of [Clare’s wife] Alice. Before he got really ill, he asked: ‘Alice Arnold, is that your wife?’ I said, ‘Yes, Dad, it is.’ And he replied: ‘Good. She’s a good choice.’”
