News presenter Nick Owen has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
News presenter Nick Owen has been diagnosed with prostate cancer
The 75-year-old star - who is best known for co-hosting 'TV-AM' with Anne Diamond in the 80s - received the diagnosis in April this year, and he is now being treated for the "extensive and aggressive" disease.
He said on 'BBC Midlands Today': "I went to a specialist, he wasn't too worried because my figures weren't that high. But he decided I ought to have a scan and then the scan said there was something dodgy going on.
"And then he sent me for a biopsy which he did. And the results of that were the killer.
"On April the 13th, a date which will forever be imprinted on my mind.
"He told us that it was extensive really and aggressive, and I had prostate cancer full-on, and something needed to be done pretty fast.
"And that was probably the worst day of my life, or certainly one of them."
Nick admitted the after-effects of the diagnosis were "grim".
He added: "It was a very grim moment, driving home after that sort of news and ringing people, texting people, my phone went crazy for hours on end.
"And it was a very, very difficult time for me, and indeed for my wife Vicki who was by my side all the time through this, you know. It was grim."
Nick has been absent from 'Midlands Today' in recent weeks, and he has been "dearly missed" by his colleagues.
A BBC spokesperson said: "Nick has been one of the faces of Midlands Today for more than 25 years. Our viewers and his colleagues have missed him dearly in recent weeks.
"We can’t wait to welcome him back to the studio as soon as he’s ready. We all wish him a speedy recovery."