Presenter Jo Wilson shares she was incorrectly diagnosed with cancer three years after being given all-clear
Warning: This article contains discussion of cancer which some readers may find distressing.
TV presenter Jo Wilson has revealed she went through her worst nightmare this year, after she was incorrectly told her cancer had come back.
Sky Sports host Wilson was originally diagnosed with cervical cancer back in July 2022.
She was initially diagnosed after a routine smear test, shortly after the birth of her daughter, Mabel.
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Following her initial cancer treatment, Wilson returned for a routine check-up three years later, as is the norm to check patients are still in remission.
She shared what happened in an Instagram post, revealing the terrifying mistake.
Wilson posted that she attended her three year scan back in February and said she was told her 'cancer had returned in a lymph node.'
She confessed: "I couldn’t believe it - it felt like my whole world had crumbled all over again."
Following the diagnosis, Wilson was referred for radiotherapy where one eagle-eyed consultant suggested the unthinkable.
The consultant queried whether she had been given a correct diagnosis.
The presenter then went through a painful five months of 'tests, scans, waiting and uncertainty'.
At long last, she was then given the all clear: "It wasn’t cancer after all. The lymph node is now thought to be a benign neuroma - a cluster of nerves that was likely inflamed at the time of my original scan," she revealed.
Understandably Wilson is relieved following the result, but she has paid a high 'emotional toll' while she waited for the truth to out.
"Living with that uncertainty was incredibly hard," she recalled. "On the outside, life carried on - I worked, was being a mum, played (lots of) padel, spent time with friends and family, and smiled for photos"
She said that the agonising wait was 'very heavy' and she found herself 'in some very dark places.'
Wilson said she was sharing her story to raise awareness of how many cancer patients feel, and said that despite the phrase 'cancer free' many survivors rarely 'ever truly feel free of it'.
She talked about the fear of the cancer returning, and said it's important to talk about the reality and addressed anyone who's living with or after cancer, she stressed 'please know you’re not alone'.
Wilson also highlighted the importance of never taking social media at face value, pointing out that on Instagram everything probably looked great from the outside.
"The last few months on here have probably looked like lots of happy moments, lovely places and time with people I love - and those moments were all real. But they existed alongside this. Instagram is a highlight reel, not the whole story."
The presenter signed off her post by urging people to be kind, and stressing that you truly never know what someone else is going through.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.
Topics: Cancer, Celebrity, Health, Women's Health
Jen Thomas