Sky Sports presenter scared of 'not functioning on air' after cancer treatment

22 January 2024 , 17:20

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Jo Wilson (left) was diagnosed with cancer in 2022 and given the all clear last June (Image: Getty Images)

Sky Sports host Jo Wilson has bravely opened up on the long-term impact of cancer treatment following her shock diagnosis - saying it left her "worried" about presenting.

Wilson, 39, was diagnosed with cervical cancer in June 2022 after going for a routine smear test. Further tests confirmed the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes and she underwent six weeks of treatment before being given the all clear in June last year.

The broadcaster had radiotherapy, chemotherapy and brachytherapy - an internal form of targeted radiotherapy. Although the treatment saved her life, it also forced her into early menopause. That has had a big impact on her presenting career.

Wilson joined Sky Sports in 2011 before making her screen debut four years later. She gave birth to her daughter Mabel in 2020 and married her partner Dan two years later.

"I had hot flushes, I was moody, and had brain fog," Wilson told the Sunday Telegraph, as quoted by the Daily Mail. "I was worried about functioning on-air."

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Wilson's symptoms promoted her to seek medical advice, where she was informed about her early menopause. Women enter menopause when their periods stop due to lower hormone levels. It usually impacts women between the ages of 45 and 55.

Menopause happens naturally but can be brought on early by cancer treatments. Wilson added: "I researched HRT, and it seems like the benefits for things such as heart and bone health outweigh the risks for me. So I started taking a combined oestrogen-progesterone tablet daily within a few months of treatment ending, which helped symptoms."

Wilson has presented on Sky Sports News since 2015 (Sky Sports)

Wilson has urged women to schedule their cervical smear test after her cancer diagnosis. One in 130 women in the UK will be diagnosed with cervical cancer during their lifetime, but one in three women do not attend their smear test.

Wilson added: "I must raise awareness. I want people to talk about what’s stopping them from going to their tests. Is it finding time? Is it embarrassment? Whatever support you need, or why you ever haven’t gone for a smear - go and be tested. I promise you, it’s far better than going through cancer."

Wilson has admitted to delaying her own smear test before her cancer diagnosis after giving birth to Mabel, 3. She's also revealed how worried she was about leaving her young daughter without a mother. The Sky Sports favourite added: "It wasn't my own fear of dying, really more the fear of leaving her and not seeing her grow up."

Tom Blow