Two years after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, Antiques Roadshow star Theo Burrell has shared an emotional update.
The 38-year-old ceramics expert, who first appeared on the much-loved BBC series in 2018, was diagnosed with a brain tumour in June 2022 after experiencing intense migraines that left her unable to bend over or lie down.
Upon receiving treatment for almost one year and having the tumour "almost entirely removed", the TV star has been living with "hope". However, in September this year, she was told by doctors that her stage 4 glioblastoma brain tumour "may be growing".
She has now shared in an emotional update that the pending results of her medical team's findings are that she may be facing "one of the last Christmases" with her partner, Alex and four-year-old son, Jonah, something she will only know for sure, one week before the festive day.
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BBC)"So where does that leave me? In terms of my life expectancy, I've already outlived my prognosis, which is 12 to 18 months for someone with my type of brain tumour — glioblastoma. I feel healthy physically — I'm still meeting friends and campaigning for the charity Brain Tumour Research — but I can't say I'm not frightened," she wrote in a vulnerable letter published by the Sunday Times.
Theo continued to say that while the growth scare doesn't necessarily mean she is "back at square one", it is confronting in the sense that she can't have endless surgeries and chemotherapy, and she worries that "the lifelines will run out".
"Much of the time, I carry a lot of anger. Anger at the lack of treatment options and anger because of the hardship this disease has brought upon my family. In all honesty, I think it's the worst for your loved ones who have to watch your health deteriorate as they hang on to the oncologist's every word at every scan result," she said.
Sharing the letter on her Instagram page with a lengthy caption, the star told her followers, "It continues to be a bit of a difficult time as I wait to find out what my scan in December shows." She added: "My paranoia about every ache and pain being cancer progression is pretty exhausting, but it's a reality of living with brain cancer - as many of you will already know and experience."
Throughout the limbo of not knowing through, Theo said she is choosing to focus on "positivity" and in doing so has celebrated her son's birthday, attended a wedding and three birthday parties, and done everyday things like hanging up washing, emptying the dishwasher, and other chores.
"There's nothing like incurable cancer to make you really appreciate every aspect of life!" She said on her social media page that she admitted the "normal" things are "important" to her at this stage of her cancer diagnosis.
In her letter, Theo told readers, "Despite all the setbacks, I still have hope", and she will continue to fight regardless of what her brain scans show when they are returned next month.
As she waits to hear back, Theo is continuing her work as patron of the Brain Tumour Research Foundation, which has given her a "new sense of purpose" and allows her to "put to use" the skills that she learnt during her time in the TV industry—like giving unscripted speeches.
Brain tumours are a common diagnosis, with the UK seeing an estimated 6700 new cases in females each year and 6100 new cases in men each year. Of those, about half are cancerous, with approximately 5,500 people dying from the disease in the UK each year.
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