BBC Presenter Maryam Moshiri Opens Up About Living With Incurable Blood Cancer

BBC news presenter Maryam Moshiri has revealed that she has been living with an incurable form of blood cancer, while continuing to maintain her demanding career in front of millions of viewers.

The 49-year-old broadcaster was diagnosed almost two years ago with polycythaemia vera, a rare blood disorder in which the bone marrow produces too many red blood cells. As a result, the blood can become unusually thick, increasing the risk of potentially serious complications.

Although polycythaemia vera cannot currently be cured, the condition can often be managed over a long period of time. Treatment is designed to control the excessive production of blood cells and reduce the risk of complications such as blood clots, heart attacks and strokes.

For Moshiri, however, managing the condition has involved significant physical and emotional challenges. She has continued working on television while undergoing demanding treatment, at times having more than a pint of blood removed from her body each month to reduce the concentration of red blood cells.

The procedure, known as venesection or phlebotomy, left her feeling exhausted and unwell. Despite those difficulties, Moshiri has said that she does not want her diagnosis to prevent her from continuing with her life or career.

A Diagnosis That Came Unexpectedly

Moshiri discovered that something was wrong after undergoing a blood test connected to menopause-related health checks.

The results eventually led doctors to investigate further, resulting in the diagnosis of polycythaemia vera.

For someone accustomed to working under intense pressure and delivering breaking news, the discovery inevitably changed her perspective on her health.

The condition can produce a variety of symptoms, including severe headaches and migraines, as well as skin that can become red, swollen and intensely itchy.

Yet Moshiri was determined to continue doing her job.

One of the clearest examples came shortly after her diagnosis, when she travelled to Rome to cover the death of Pope Francis and the subsequent conclave.

The assignment demanded long hours and constant concentration. Moshiri recalled working approximately 14-hour days while remaining on air and having to react immediately to developing events.

Behind the professional image viewers saw on television, however, she was dealing with persistent fatigue.

She described the experience as having to continue thinking quickly and maintaining her composure despite the chronic tiredness caused by her condition and treatment.

Difficult Treatment and Side Effects

Following her return from Rome, Moshiri began treatment with interferon, an immunotherapy drug administered through Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London.

The treatment helped reduce the amount of blood she needed to have removed regularly, providing an important benefit.

However, the medication also brought a series of difficult side effects.

Moshiri experienced problems including insomnia, headaches and severe itching. At its worst, the itching became so intense that she would scratch her skin until it bled.

The treatment also affected her everyday life and her ability to spend time with her children.

Moshiri is the mother of three children, Iris, 13, Vivienne, 11, and Caspian, nine, whom she shares with LatinNews editor-in-chief Jonathan Farmer.

She has spoken openly about the emotional difficulty of being too exhausted to participate in ordinary family activities.

During periods when the treatment was particularly challenging, she recalled lying on the sofa while her children continued with their daily lives.

On one occasion, her son asked whether she would come outside and play football with him in the garden. She wanted to join him but simply did not have enough energy.

For a mother who wanted to remain active in her children’s lives, those moments were particularly painful.

Telling Her Children

When Moshiri explained her diagnosis to her children, their first concern was understandably whether their mother was going to die.

The word “cancer” can be frightening for anyone, and explaining an incurable condition to children can be especially difficult.

Moshiri has emphasized, however, that polycythaemia vera is generally managed as a chronic illness rather than an aggressively progressing cancer.

While the diagnosis requires lifelong monitoring and treatment, many patients can live for many years with the condition.

Eventually, Moshiri changed to another medication that produced side effects she found easier to manage.

Even so, adapting to life with polycythaemia vera has required her to accept that regular medical appointments, medication and monitoring will now form part of her routine.

Choosing to Carry On

Despite the difficulties, Moshiri has made it clear that she does not want her illness to define her professional identity.

She believes an important part of living with the disease is continuing with everyday life whenever possible.

Her approach has allowed her to remain active in broadcasting while simultaneously managing treatment.

For viewers, the revelation offers a different perspective on the presenter they regularly see delivering major news stories.

Moshiri is also known for her energetic and sometimes unconventional personality on screen. Her career has included several memorable broadcasting moments that have attracted widespread attention.

In December 2023, she became the subject of global attention after appearing to raise her middle finger toward the camera immediately before reading the news headlines.

The incident occurred during what she later explained was a private joke with members of the production team. She apologized after the moment was broadcast.

Since then, she has been involved in several other light-hearted television incidents, including pretending to be a seagull, demonstrating a spoon-related joke and jogging on the spot during a segment about daily step counts.

Those moments have contributed to her reputation as a presenter with a distinctive sense of humor.

Her decision to discuss her cancer diagnosis publicly reveals another side of her personality: one characterized by resilience and openness.

Raising Awareness

Moshiri is now using her experience to support Blood Cancer UK’s “Here for This” campaign.

The initiative focuses on the everyday experiences and important personal moments that people with blood cancer may miss because of their illness or the side effects of treatment.

By speaking publicly about her own experience, Moshiri hopes to help others understand the realities of living with a blood cancer that may not always be visible.

Helen Rowntree, chief executive of Blood Cancer UK, praised Moshiri for sharing her story and helping to raise awareness.

The charity has emphasized the importance of developing treatments that are not only effective but also easier for patients to tolerate.

The aim is to help people living with blood cancer spend less time coping with the effects of treatment and more time participating in the moments that matter to them.

A Relatively Rare Condition

Polycythaemia vera remains an uncommon condition. Around 15,000 people in the UK were estimated to be living with it as of 2023.

The disorder is most commonly diagnosed later in life, with the average age at diagnosis being around 60.

In addition to excessive red blood cell production, some patients can also produce unusually high numbers of white blood cells and platelets, which play an important role in blood clotting.

The increased thickness of the blood can contribute to the risk of dangerous clotting events, making ongoing treatment and medical monitoring essential.

Moshiri is not the only broadcaster to have experienced the condition.

Former BBC colleague David Hamilton has also spoken publicly about being diagnosed with polycythaemia vera several years ago.

Hamilton said he initially showed few obvious signs of illness before noticing blood in his urine. He recalled being frightened by the word “cancer,” but said his consultant had helped put the diagnosis into perspective by explaining that, among cancers, this particular condition can often be managed relatively effectively.

His experience highlights the fact that an incurable diagnosis does not necessarily mean that someone cannot continue living a meaningful and active life.

Looking Beyond the Diagnosis

For Moshiri, continuing to work appears to be an important part of maintaining that normality.

Her illness has undoubtedly changed aspects of her daily routine, but she remains determined not to allow it to overshadow her career or her role as a mother.

Her story also highlights the less visible reality of chronic illness. Viewers may see a confident presenter delivering news from a studio, without realizing the physical challenges taking place behind the scenes.

Moshiri’s decision to speak publicly about her diagnosis therefore offers an important reminder that serious illness does not always have an obvious outward appearance.

Her experience has involved difficult treatment, exhausting symptoms and moments when she has been unable to participate in family life in the way she would have liked.

Yet she has continued to work, raise awareness and support a campaign designed to help others living with blood cancer.

By sharing her story, Moshiri is not simply talking about her diagnosis. She is also highlighting the importance of better treatments, greater understanding and the ability for patients to remain present for the people and experiences that matter most.

For now, her life includes medication, hospital appointments and ongoing medical care. But alongside those challenges, she continues to work, parent her children and appear on television.

Her message is ultimately one of determination: living with an incurable illness may require major adjustments, but it does not necessarily mean giving up the life, career and relationships that make each day meaningful.