ITV host’s wife diagnosed with incurable tumour months after having first child
An ITV presenter has said that his wife has been given a “death sentence” after confirming her incurable brain tumour diagnosis.
Dan Salisbury-Jones, who hosts the ITV News Central sports bulletins, said wife Liz, 30, is suffering with the rare illness just months after welcoming their first child.
He explained how the couple had enjoyed a successful 2022 celebrating son Reuben’s birth and buying a family home.
“Life was very good back in 2022,” he said, as reported by Birmingham Live. “Liz had given birth to our first baby, I’d got this exciting new job in the Midlands and we had found a house that was to become our family home.”
The presenter said he “had an odd sense that all was going too well”, then Liz had a “petrifying” seizure as they were packing to head home after visiting family in Teesside in December.
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They were later told by medics that Liz had a low-grade Oligodendroglioma – a rare, incurable, slow-growing tumour. An estimated 66 to 78 percent of people with this tumour survive for five years or more after diagnosis, according to The Brain Tumour Charity.
Around 16,000 Brits are diagnosed with a brain tumour each year and oligodendrogliomas, which is most common in people aged 40 to 60, accounts for between two and five percent of all cases.
Recalling the moment they heard the awful news, Dan said: “My wife was just looking through me like there was nothing there.
“I really wish I knew that was normal because at the time I thought the worst. Eventually, she started recognising people and rediscovering her memory as we made our way to the hospital.
“She had a CT scan, which revealed a mass on the brain. We were told it was either an infection or a tumour.
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“We convinced ourselves it was an infection and that antibiotics would resolve the issue. She was admitted and put on a drip for several days, spending Christmas on a general/diabetic ward at a hospital with no neurological department.”
He explained that Liz’s tumour is slow growing so it’s likely she’ll see their son grow up. However, the risk of seizures means Liz, who is undergoing chemotherapy, will not be able to care for him unsupervised.
The broadcaster explained in a statement through The Brain Tumour Charity: “Liz’s treatment, along with anti-epilepsy drugs, started in May and meant she lost some of her hair – although Liz’s skills with a scarf mean that few people know this!
“Thankfully, it was successful and caused significant shrinkage in the tumour. Then it was time for PCV Chemotherapy.
“We are now midway through the second cycle and Liz is handling it like a trooper. There are some strict dietary requirements, which are quite confusing to start with but not that bad once you get your head around it.”
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