Dermot Murnaghan has said he ‘fell through the gaps’ before getting his cancer diagnosis.
The former Sky News presenter, 67, announced last month he had been diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer.
The broadcaster joined Sky in 2007 and presented a variety of news programmes over the years before leaving in February 2023.
He has also hosted on BBC News, Channel 4, and Independent Television News. Between 2003 and 2014, he hosted the quiz show Eggheads before Jeremy Vine took over.
Now, however, after speaking at an event hosted by Prostate Cancer UK, he has admitted that it ‘never occurred’ to him that the medical tests he had for work did not include one for PSA (prostate-specific antigen).
‘For years, I thought, “That’ll do me” – I’m getting tested basically once a year or every couple of years,’ he said.
‘It never occurred to me that they weren’t testing for PSA. I never went to my GP because I was getting other tests through the production company.
‘So, that’s how I fell through the gaps and that’s how I had a massive wake-up call and want to share the message.’
Murnaghan urged men to be regularly tested for prostate cancer and noted: ‘You can still get to the stage I have with no symptoms.’
He continued: ‘You can insist on the test if you are in a high-risk group and under 50. If you’re not, I’d still get the test at 50.
Symptoms of prostate cancer
Most men who have prostate cancer do not display any symptoms, which is why knowing the risks is important.
You should get checked out if you have:
- difficulty starting to urinate or emptying your bladder
- a weak flow when you urinate
- a feeling that your bladder hasn’t emptied properly
- dribbling urine after you finish urinating
- needing to urinate more often than usual, especially at night
- a sudden need to urinate – you may sometimes leak urine before you get to the toilet
Info taken from Prostate Cancer UK.
‘Go to your GP and they say you don’t need it, but say, ‘I want it.’ It is your right to have it. Just keep doing that every year or couple of years.
‘Once you’ve got that marker, where your PSA is, keep monitoring it.
‘The earlier you find it, the easier it is to treat, so check your risk in just 30 seconds with Prostate Cancer UK’s online risk and what you can do about it.’
Reflecting on his cancer journey, Murnaghan said he was ‘responding positively’ to treatment and has ‘a lot of hope’ for new trials and medical options.
He said: ‘What’s astonishing is just how fast things are developing, even at last stage advanced prostate cancer, the programme that I’ve been getting only really was approved within the last couple of years.’
Murnaghan will be taking part in Sir Chris Hoy’s charity bike ride in Glasgow in September, asking his followers to donate and support if possible.
The Olympic cyclist, 49, also has prostate cancer, having shared in October last year that his condition was terminal and he had two to four years to live.
After making his announcement, Murnaghan was flooded with kind messages, replying to fans to say he ‘can’t take this lying down’ and he is ‘following Sir Chris’s example’.
Macmillan cancer support
If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with cancer, Macmillan can offer support and information.
You can contact their helpline on 0808 808 00 00 (7 days a week from 8am to 8pm), use their webchat service, or visit their site for more information.
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