Nicki Chapman, the ever-smiling face of Escape to the Country and former Pop Idol judge who has lit up British screens since 2001, has shared a chilling new update on the brain tumour that changed her life — and the words have left fans across the UK shaken.
In an emotional interview published on October 16, 2025, the 57-year-old admitted that the terrifying ordeal she faced in 2019 now feels as though it is “catching up” with her. Headaches have become more frequent, the pain more relentless, and the fear harder to silence.
“Every morning I wake up hoping this is just a nightmare,” she confessed, her voice breaking as she spoke about constant hospital appointments, sleepless nights and the quiet dread that shadows even her happiest moments.
Diagnosed in May 2019 with a golf-ball-sized meningioma pressing on her brain, Nicki first noticed something was wrong when she began losing her vision and slurring her words while recovering from routine knee surgery. Surgeons were able to remove most of the tumour, but a small fragment was left behind — something she now monitors with scans every 18 months.
Although the tumour was non-cancerous, the statistics still haunt her. Brain tumours in adults carry a devastating outlook, with survival rates often quoted at just 13 per cent over five years. “I didn’t have brain cancer,” she revealed, “but my surgeon and the NHS had that conversation with me. I made my will.”
In her memoir So Tell Me What You Want, released in 2024, Nicki opened up about filing painful memories into what she calls a “mental filing cabinet” just to keep going. Despite returning to work within six weeks of surgery, she admits that the emotional toll never really disappeared.
Her home life has also changed. With husband Dave Shackleton often away and their children Olly, now 20, and Chrissie, 18, busy building their own lives, Nicki says she sometimes finds herself “alone with the ache”.
Yet even in her darkest moments, she refuses to stop fighting.
“But I have to keep going — for my family, for every moment I still have,” she said quietly.
Since sharing her story, social media has been flooded with support, with thousands posting messages of love under the hashtag #NickiNerve. Tributes have poured in from friends across the TV world, with Ken Bruce calling her “brave” and Carol Vorderman describing her as a “sister in strength”.
Nicki has channelled her fear into action, becoming a patron of The Brain Tumour Charity — an organisation that highlights the brutal reality of 34 people being diagnosed every day in the UK, with more than 5,000 losing their lives each year. Through fundraising and awareness campaigns, she has already helped raise hundreds of thousands of pounds.
This isn’t just another celebrity scare. It is a reminder of how fragile life really is — and how extraordinary courage can be when everything feels stacked against you.
As one fan wrote: “Nicki, your strength gives us hope when we need it most.”
And as the nation watches her continue this battle, one thing is clear: her story is no longer just about survival — it’s about inspiring everyone who wakes up each day hoping the nightmare will finally end.
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/
Bài viết EVERY MORNING I WAKE UP HOPING THIS IS JUST A NIGHTMARE…” Nicki Chapman’s Heartbreaking Confession Leaves Fans in Tears as Brain Tumour Fears Return đã xuất hiện đầu tiên vào ngày HOT.