Balding fighting cancer but aiming to be at Derby
BY LEE MOTTERSHEAD
8.23AM 29 MAY 2009
THE BBC'S multi award-winning racing presenter Clare Balding on Thursday revealed she is having ongoing treatment for thyroid cancer but insisted she feels "fantastic" and is more than healthy enough to present coverage of next week's Investec Derby meeting.
Balding, widely acknowledged to be the sport's premier broadcaster, was speaking at Epsom, where she fulfilled her annual commitment to host the track's Breakfast with the Stars event, at which she interviewed a number of leading trainers and jockeys less than 24 hours after the removal of 12 stitches inserted following a second operation.
Clare Balding: "prognosis is very good."
PICTURE: Edward Whitaker
Further treatment will be required two days after Balding commentates on the Wimbledon women's final for Radio 5 live, but aside from a voice that was on Thursday at less than full strength, the 38-year-old - who was unaware she definitely had cancer until two weeks after the Grand National - was showing no outward signs of her illness.
"I have papillary thyroid cancer, which is apparently extremely common in women," said Balding. "My thyroid has now been removed, but I feel fantastic, although my voice has taken a long time to recover.
"I think it's very important for me to say that this is what I've got. Half the fear with cancer is that nobody says they have it. My attitude has been that it's just bad cells, so get them out and crack on. I haven't made a drama out of it and I don't intend to. I'm not taking the ‘woe is me' approach and I certainly won't miss any racing.
"It's very common for women to have problems with their thyroid, but you only get this particular form of cancer through genetics or by being exposed to an atomic bomb. I don't think it's genetic, so I guess some of the people I work with must be atomic bombs. In my head, I think it was actually caused by stress, so I'm certainly not going to get stressed about it now and make it worse.
"Looking ahead, the prognosis is very good. The next thing that happens is I have treatment on the Monday after Wimbledon, which involves me swallowing a pill that makes me radioactive, although a lot of people would say I've been radioactive for a long time.
"The treatment will kill the rest of the thyroid and the cancer will be gone, as it was only in the thyroid. After that, I take thyroxin for the rest of my life, which lots of people already do."
Balding, who spent a week recuperating at her family's Kingsclere home, has been relieved of rugby league presenting duties this weekend, but is adamant she will be fit for Epsom.
"I have no doubts about next week," she said. "When I first stood up today, my voice felt so weak, which was scary, as there was the fear that the one thing I need wasn't working. Luckily, Bob Cooper was brilliant in taking some of the strain off me and my voice did warm up as the morning went on - I just sounded a bit like Kermit the Frog. It wasn't too bad, though, and I'd hope to be a lot better by next week.
"Everything will be all right. I sleep well at night and I feel great. It's not too serious and, if anything, I might lose weight by taking thyroxin, which would be a really exciting side effect!"
