Amanda Holden joked that a “bear hug” from TV presenter Davina McCall may have been responsible for Jamie Theakston’s early cancer diagnosis. While hosting the Heart Breakfast show, she trolled that the gentle hug, which “half throttled” Jamie, finally made him see a doctor over his throat.
The light-hearted exchange came at the final Heart Breakfast where Amanda reminisced about the day when in June, the filling for her Davina gave Jamie a particularly tight hug. Teasing the situation, Amanda joked that maybe this was the encounter that set off the direction for Jamie to get his vocal cords checked after losing his voice.
Jamie might be lucky to go see a doctor. Theakston is one of Britain’s favorite broadcasters and has just announced that he had to undergo emergency surgery following the discovery of a lesion on his vocal cords. This was later confirmed as stage 1 laryngeal cancer, for which he was treated.
Amanda reflected on the situation and said: “Davina may have been the cause Jamie went to see with his throat. She gave him such a bear hug he could hardly talk after that. It wasn’t the hug that was the problem; it was something much worse.”
As Jamie captioned on Instagram post: “the reality of diagnosis and surgery- I’m truly grateful and on my way to healing. He actually plans on returning to work in October. His fans as well as his colleagues are relieved that his cancer has been detected at an early stage.
For instance, when Amanda was teasing him lightheartedly about his developing sore throat, the conversation did point out the need to observe what is happening inside the body. Jamie himself acted in time and sought medical attention when symptoms appeared with his throat, and consequently, the doctors detected cancer in its early stage. This automatically increases the probability of complete recovery in his case.
Not to be outdone, the radio show guest also jumped into the fray by voicing her feelings on the subject. Davina McCall applauded Amanda for what she did on the day of the incident. “She just dismissed the whole concept of a hug causing some injury to Jamie. I never thought a hug could lead to something like this. I’m just glad he’s okay and that everything was caught in time,” she said.
Quite a few conversations have already started with him being open about his health regarding the importance of early detection, especially on issues relating to the vocal cords and throat. Laryngeal cancer is a form of cancer, though not very common; when it does occur, it can be devastating if it’s not caught early. Early signs are usually persistent sore throats, hoarseness or difficulty swallowing, so medical evaluation is indispensable.
Jamie is expected to resume his programme with Amanda within two weeks, which will surely gladden the hearts of his fans. The update with Jamie’s health message is for everyone to listen to their bodies and take action if something feels off.
There’s a strong clue at the end of that show when Amanda says: “Jamie’s such a trooper. We can’t wait to have him back in the studio – hopefully with his vocal cords intact this time!”