BBC presenter Maryam Moshiri reveals blood cancer diagnosis

BBC News presenter Maryam Moshiri has announced she is living with an incurable blood cancer. The 49-year-old anchor, diagnosed in November 2024, revealed her condition to raise awareness about the disease.

Moshiri told reporters she felt ready to share her story after two years of living with polycythaemia vera (PV). "It's been two years since my diagnosis and I've felt that I've started to understand the disease a lot better," she said. She described PV as a rare, treatable blood cancer where the body produces too many red blood cells, thickening the blood and increasing the risk of clots, stroke, or heart attack.

Initial diagnosis and treatment

Her condition was discovered during routine blood tests ordered by a vigilant GP. Moshiri said she initially had few symptoms, which is common with the disease. Her first treatment involved multiple venesections, a procedure to draw blood and reduce its thickness. She underwent seven or eight sessions in five months, which left her exhausted and with low iron levels.

She later developed more pronounced symptoms. "I started feeling extremely unwell and tired. I started losing my hair, I got itchy all over my body, but the main symptom was fatigue," Moshiri explained.

Managing life with a chronic condition

Her treatment improved after switching to an immunotherapy drug called interferon via the NHS. She reports needing only one venesection in the past 15 months. "The last couple of months have been better than the last two years," she stated. Moshiri emphasized that while the cancer is incurable, it is manageable, allowing for a relatively healthy life with the right treatment.

She admits the illness has changed her. "I'm not the person I was two years ago," Moshiri said, though she feels much better now. The mother of three has had to adjust, sometimes missing family events or playtime with her children due to profound fatigue.

A public figure's private battle

Despite her health challenges, Moshiri has continued her high-profile work for the BBC over the past two years. She has anchored coverage from Qatar during the US-Israel war with Iran and travelled to Greenland for a vice-presidential visit.

She credits her husband Jonathan, her BBC management, and her three children for their support. It took her time to tell her children about the illness. "When I say things like 'mummy is too tired to play with you', they get it and they don't push it," she said.

Helen Rowntree, chief executive of Blood Cancer UK, thanked Moshiri for her bravery. Rowntree noted that blood cancer is the UK's fifth most common cancer and third biggest cancer killer, often presenting with vague symptoms. She called for continued support to fund kinder, more effective treatments.

Moshiri remains hopeful about future medical advances. She looks forward to scientific progress that may help more than current medications.