Stephen Fry leads famous faces backing Mail’s prostate cancer screening campaign: ‘We owe it to men and their families to act’
Actor and broadcaster Stephen Fry today backs the Daily Mail’s prostate cancer screening campaign, saying: ‘We owe it to men and their families to act.’
The 67-year-old national treasure said the most common cancer in men was ‘tragically’ often detected too late.
Those with a family history of prostate cancer are also more likely to be affected, while the risk also increases with age.
But it is often symptomless, meaning men will usually not be aware they have it until they get tested, so early detection is key.
It is why the Mail has launched its campaign calling on the UK National Screening Committee to finally agree to recommend inviting the most at-risk men for a voluntary test.
Giving his support, Sir Stephen, who is outspoken about his own experience with prostate cancer, told the Mail: ‘Early detection of prostate cancer saves lives. It’s that simple.
‘No one should lose their life to a cancer that could have been caught early.
‘We owe it to men, and to their families, to act.’
Sir Stephen has backed the Daily Mail’s campaign for a screening programme inviting the most at-risk men to come forward for a blood test
Sir Stephen was knighted at Buckingham Palace earlier this year for services to mental health awareness, the environment, and charity
Roughly one in eight men in the UK will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, but it is even more prevalent in black men, rising to one in four.
Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently added his support to the growing clamour for targeted testing on the NHS, which would invite the most at-risk men to come forward and get checked out, after seeing ‘too many friends’ battle the disease.
His successor in Downing Street Sir Keir Starmer and Health Secretary Wes Streeting have also lent their voices to the campaign.
And Sir Stephen called on more MPs to join them and try to bring about change.
He said: ‘Prostate cancer is now the most common cancer in the UK, yet for far too long it has remained in the shadows – under-discussed, under-diagnosed, and tragically, often detected too late.
‘But it needn’t be this way. We have the tools and the knowledge to change that. Now we need the political will.
‘That’s why I’m supporting Prostate Cancer Research and the Daily Mail’s campaign, calling on the Government and the National Screening Committee to introduce a targeted screening programme – starting with those men at highest risk.’
His sentiments were echoed by fellow broadcaster Nick Ferrari.
The 66-year-old, who presents the breakfast show on LBC radio, had a PSA blood test after hearing his friend and Formula 1 boss Eddie Jordan had died from prostate cancer last month, aged 76.
Nick Ferrari took a PSA blood test – which came back negative – following the recent death of his friend Eddie Jordan
Mr Ferrari and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer have both backed the Daily Mail’s campaign
Former F1 boss Eddie Jordan died with prostate cancer last month
Mr Ferrari, an ambassador for Prostate Cancer UK, said the test came back clear and added: ‘I’m hugely supportive of the Daily Mail campaign for a national prostate cancer screening programme.
‘The country has done fantastic work with breast cancer screening and we now need to mirror this for prostate cancer.
‘Too many men are dying needlessly from this silent killer and we need to catch it early. The campaign is gaining traction and we are knocking on the door for change.
‘Now is the time to do for the blokes what we have done for the ladies. I’m delighted to see the Mail getting behind this great cause.’
Former Blackadder star Sir Stephen was diagnosed with prostate cancer in December 2017 after initially going for a flu jab.
His doctor suggested a routine check-up and discovered that his PSA level, which is a possible sign of prostate cancer, was higher than normal.
Sir Stephen had no obvious symptoms and agreed to an MRI scan, and then went for a biopsy upon the doctor’s recommendation.
It showed he had prostate cancer, so underwent surgery to remove it.
He announced his diagnosis and recovery shortly after, explaining in a 13-minute blog post that he wanted to encourage ‘men of a certain age’ to get their PSA levels checked.
Sir Stephen later said he had made changes to his lifestyle, ‘eating better and exercising more’, but that his treatment ‘hasn’t changed my perspective on life, I’m just carrying on’.
Last year the former Jeeves and Wooster star slammed the ‘deadly’ delays tens of thousands of cancer patients faced and praised King Charles for raising awareness of the disease in general after going public with aspects of his own health issues.
Routine check-up saved my life, says TV chef Ken Hom
Celebrity chef Ken Hom said he owes his life to medical screening which showed he had signs of prostate cancer.
The internationally renowned cookbook author and broadcaster was diagnosed with the disease 15 years ago during a routine medical after being encouraged to get checked out by doctor friends.
Like many men diagnosed with prostate cancer, he had no symptoms and was living a healthy life.
The 75-year-old now speaks passionately about male health and has backed the Daily Mail’s campaign for a targeted national screening programme for at-risk men.
The Chinese-American chef, who was introduced to millions of British fans with the launch of the BBC’s pioneering series Ken Hom’s Chinese Cookery in the 1980s, said: ‘Of course a screening programme is a good thing – you’re saving people’s lives.
Ken Hom was diagnosed with prostate cancer 15 years ago following a routine examination and has called for at-risk men in the UK to be invited for screening
The 75-year-old, who rose to fame in the 1980s, has been open about his prostate cancer journey to encourage more men to get checked
‘If there was a fire you would send firefighters, if people were being flooded you would send in emergency services.
‘This is a health problem, it should be part of society protecting its own people.’
Mr Hom decided to go public with his diagnosis because he felt that ‘one of the biggest problems is getting men to get screened’.
He said: ‘In the UK there is a huge problem of men dying with prostate cancer completely needlessly.
‘When people say the word cancer, you think: Oh, sh*t, it’s the end of the world.
‘But if you detect it early, people can be treated and recover.
‘My screening saved me, absolutely.
‘I felt that if I could save one life by talking about it, it would have been worth it.
‘Without the screening I would have been gone 15 years ago.
‘I learned a lot about cancer, and especially prostate cancer, and that’s why I’m such a strong advocate for testing and making sure lives are not lost needlessly.’
