Adrian Chiles has revealed he was diagnosed with skin cancer, after undergoing an operation to remove a suspicious patch of skin from his shoulder.
The 58-year-old broadcaster explained that a biopsy later confirmed the patch was cancerous, a diagnosis he shared with readers in his latest column for The Guardian. Reassuringly, Adrian stressed that the condition is “nothing serious” and has been successfully treated.
The former One Show presenter was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer caused by an overproduction of squamous cells in the epidermis — the outer layer of the skin.
Adrian recalled how he became concerned after noticing a change on his shoulder, prompting him to book an appointment with a dermatologist. It was decided that the patch should be removed and tested.
However, the days that followed proved deeply stressful. Twenty-three days after the procedure, Adrian received two NHS appointment notifications, neither of which mentioned his results. Repeated attempts to get answers through automated systems led to mounting frustration.
Eventually, he was informed via an app “powered by Patients Know Best” that he would not receive his results until December 18.
Writing candidly, Adrian admitted:
“By now I wanted to flush my phone down the toilet. This c**p masquerades as communication, but communication is either two-way or it’s nothing.”
He eventually requested a direct call from a nurse, who was finally able to share the long-awaited results.
Describing the relief he felt, Adrian added:
“The human contact feels as good as any treatment or cure.”
A Career That Took Him to the Top — But At a Cost
Adrian’s successful television career saw him go on to host BBC One’s Match Of The Day 2 for six years, before being lured to ITV to front their World Cup and Champions League coverage in a £6 million, four-year deal.
He also famously shared The One Show sofa with Christine Lampard from 2007 to 2010, drawing in audiences of up to seven million viewers each night. Yet he later admitted that the format never truly suited him.
At the height of his career, Adrian was one of Britain’s highest-paid broadcasters, earning more than £4.5 million a year.
Despite the fame and financial success, he says the career peak didn’t bring happiness.
Speaking to How To Be 60, he reflected:
“You go into this business because you like asking people questions — you’re curious. But in a three-minute interview on The One Show, between unrelated films, you don’t get much space for that. On the radio, with ten or fifteen minutes, it’s a different thing.”
Now hosting a show on Radio 5 Live and writing a weekly newspaper column, Adrian admits he finds this phase of his career far more fulfilling.
“When somebody stops me and says ‘I like your radio programme’ or ‘I enjoyed that column last week’, I just want to kiss them,” he said.
He added:
“If I could have written my ideal job down when I was 20, this would be it — a reasonably successful column in The Guardian and doing thoughtful speech radio programmes.”
Fame, ADHD And The Pressure of Success
The Birmingham-born presenter began his television career on Working Lunch, before moving to The One Show. He also spent four years hosting The Apprentice spin-off You’re Fired and played a central role in the BBC’s World Cup team, Euro 2008 coverage and the 2008 Olympics.
Yet despite being one of the BBC’s biggest sporting presenters, he later confessed that the high-flying lifestyle left him unhappy.
“I don’t feel like an Alpha male. I don’t walk around feeling like a great success,” he once said.
Adrian also revealed in 2020 that he had been diagnosed with ADHD, something he says has helped him better understand himself — but also forced him to take responsibility for his health.
“It’s not going to help matters if it just gives me a free pass to carry on being incompetent,” he explained.
He added that without change, the impact of stress could be devastating:
“I won’t make 70 otherwise, because I’ll be so bloody stressed.”
What Is Squamous Cell Carcinoma?
Squamous cell carcinoma begins in the squamous cells, which make up the middle and outer layers of the skin. While it is usually not life-threatening, if left untreated it can grow large or spread, leading to serious complications.
Following his operation and diagnosis, Adrian has now reassured readers that his cancer was detected early and successfully removed.
He is currently married to Guardian editor Kath Viner and was previously married to radio presenter Jane Garvey.
For Adrian, the frightening health scare has become another reminder of the fine balance between ambition, pressure and well-being — and the importance of listening to your body when it sends warning signs.
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Rewritten from: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/