Veteran news presenter Dermot Murnaghan has opened up about his family's resilience as he undergoes aggressive treatment for an advanced prostate cancer diagnosis.
A diagnosis that 'blindsides you'
The 67-year-old former Sky News anchor, who publicly revealed his condition in June, told The Telegraph that his loved ones are handling the situation with remarkable fortitude. "They are coping really well. They've been beyond excellent to me," Murnaghan stated, while expressing deep regret over the worry his illness has caused.
He described the moment he learned he had stage four prostate cancer as a profound shock. "It blindsides you," he said, comparing it to a gut punch, particularly as the news arrived just before Christmas with his children due home. A significant part of his mental struggle has been chastising himself, asking, "What have you laid on them, you fool?"
The critical importance of early screening
Murnaghan, who has fronted programmes for ITV, BBC, and Channel 4 during his distinguished career, now serves as an ambassador for Prostate Cancer Research. He is using his platform to drive home a crucial public health message he wishes he had acted upon sooner.
"If only I had got diagnosed at an earlier stage, all that hurt and worry I could have saved them," he reflected with palpable remorse. He admitted that despite being professionally aware of the disease and the simple PSA blood test used to screen for it, he kept putting it off. "I just thought, 'Oh, I'll get round to it.'" By the time he was tested, his cancer was too advanced to treat the prostate alone, requiring systemic, "punchy and aggressive" therapy.
Statistics from Prostate Cancer UK underscore the urgency of his message, indicating that approximately one in eight men will be diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime. It often presents no symptoms in its early, most treatable stages, making proactive screening vital, especially for those in higher-risk groups.
Life after the news
Despite the challenging treatment regimen, Murnaghan continues his work, including hosting the Legends of News podcast. His career has spanned decades, from presenting News at Ten on ITV and the BBC Ten O'Clock News to fronting Sky News and the true crime series Killer Britain.
His immediate reaction upon diagnosis was one of self-reproach: "What a fool I am." Having interviewed countless people about health stories, he was acutely aware of the risks. Now, his mission is clear: to ensure other men do not make the same mistake, emphasising that prostate cancer is entirely curable if detected early through a routine PSA test.
