Sky News host's shock 'wake-up call' in stage four cancer announcement

Former Sky News presenter Dermot Murnaghan has shared that his cancer diagnosis was a "wake-up call" for him. The 67-year-old announced his condition, stage four prostate cancer, in June as he claimed that he "fell through the gaps" in his healthcare.

Stage four cancer, which is the most advanced stage, means the cancer has spread beyond the prostate, potentially affecting other organs such as the bladder, bones, lungs, or liver. Now, Dermot is advocating for greater awareness about the importance of testing. Speaking at an event for Prostate Cancer UK, he urged other men to be more proactive about their health and he wanted to "share the message" of how important testing can be. He told the crowd: "For years I thought 'that will do me' - I'm getting tested basically once a year or every couple of years." However, he soon realised that the tests he was undergoing privately didn't include screening for PSA (prostate-specific antigen), which is crucial for early detection of prostate cancer."

He added: "It never occurred to me that they weren't testing for PSA, and I never went to my GP because I was getting other tests privately through the production company. So that's how I fell through the gaps and that's how I had a massive wake-up call and want to share the message."

The PSA blood test is available but not routinely recommended by the NHS due to concerns about its accuracy. Men over 50 can request the test from their GP.

The TV host urged men to "insist" on getting tested. He said: "You can get to the stage I have with no symptoms. Get the test, insist on the test."

Dermot added: "You can insist on the test if you are in a high-risk group and under 50. If you are not, I'd still get the test at 50. Go to your GP and they say you don't need it but say 'but I want it'. It is your right to have it. Just keep doing that every year or couple of years.

"Once you've got that marker where your PSA is, keep monitoring it. The earlier you find prostate cancer the easier it is to treat. Check your risk in just 30 seconds with Prostate Cancer UK's online risk checker to see if you are at risk and what you can choose to do about it."

He went on to offer further advice about treatment, saying: "In terms of the treatments for the stage I'm at, they are a myriad. What's astonishing is just how fast things are developing. There is a lot of hope out there, there's a lot going on, there's a lot of advice and a lot of things happening.

"As a sufferer and a non-medical person, my advice is ask questions. There are always different ways of doing things... keep asking those questions about where you are and what's available."