Sky Sports presenter Jo Wilson has revealed the tragic news that she has been diagnosed with stage 3 cervical cancer.
Jo shared the news with OK!, explaining that she is undergoing radiotherapy and chemotherapy and has shared the reason why she wanted to speak out publicly about her diagnosis.
“The last person in the public eye with cervical cancer was Jade Goody. After Jade’s death, more women went for smear tests, but now one in three who are eligible don’t go. I really want to change that”.
She continued, “If I can save just one other life by being open about my battle then it’s worth speaking out”.
The presenter revealed that she is normally good with going to health check-ups but put off going for a smear test because of her traumatic labour when she gave birth to her daughter, Mabel, in September 2020.
After Mabel’s forceps delivery, which resulted in them both catching sepsis, Jo said she was worried about “being prodded down there”.
The 36-year-old reflected back on when she was told her worrying diagnosis. “I cried while a lovely nurse held my hand. Then I cried to Dan, and he was quite shocked because he didn’t really think it would be cancer. You’re desperately hoping there’s a chance it might not be”.
“I asked the doctor, ‘Am I going to die?’, ‘You’re not going to die’, he reassured me. ‘It’s very treatable and it’s very curable’”.
“I try to hold onto that, but there are no guarantees. The percentages are still a bit ropey. There’s something like a 70% success rate for this treatment. So I’ll take that. But you still think about the fact there’s a 30% chance it won’t work”.
“The lack of control can be quite difficult, because the treatment will either work or it won’t I’m trying to live in the present and get this through”.
The mum-of-one took to Instagram this afternoon to share more information about her diagnosis and the importance of women going for smear tests.
“So this is cancer. The hardest thing to go through, and difficult for me to open up about but September is gynaecological cancer awareness month so sharing my story in the hope that it can do exactly that”.
The presenter continued, “To the men that follow me, if you have a mum, a daughter, a sister, a wife, a girlfriend, an aunt, a niece… this affects you as well so please read and share”.
“Did you know 1 in 3 eligible women are NOT going for their smear tests? And there are so many reasons WHY which we need to address. Particularly to anyone who has recently given birth/ been affected by birth trauma, please seek the help you need”.
Jo also thanked people that have been supporting her through her diagnosis and treatment, and added that she is beginning her final week of treatment.
