TOUGH-talking telly host Jeremy Kyle has revealed he broke down in the arms of a doctor over fears that a “toxic”; tumour would kill him.
In an emotional interview, the presenter recalls the “terrifying”; moment he was told his testicular cancer had likely spread.
Jeremy sobbed as he clutched on to a medic in despair moments before going under the knife.
Opening up in depth for the first time about his ordeal, he tells Kate Garraway’s Life Stories: “My doctor said to me, ‘Can you go and see my colleague in the Princess Margaret hospital in the evening,’ and I didn’t think anything of it.
“Any man who has to take their trousers down is obviously embarrassing enough.
“But I was in a hurry so I did all of that behind the screen and he said, ‘Trousers up, that’s fine.’
“I said, ‘It’s been lovely’, and he said, ‘No, you’ve got cancer — you’ve got a lump.
“So 20 minutes later I’m on my back and I’m being scanned. And you lie there and you think, jeez.”;
Jeremy had put off his trip to the doctors for weeks, having had “a feeling”; that something wasn’t right.
Then, after being referred to a specialist, he argued to have it rescheduled as he was meant to be filming ITV charity appeal Text Santa with Ant and Dec.
But his doctor insisted he keep to the appointment — and within 24 hours Jeremy was undergoing surgery to remove one of his testicles.
Visibly upset as he reflected on the life-changing moment in 2012, Jeremy said: “I got to the hospital and I was on my own.
“I remember walking down this corridor and this huge bloke opened the door.
‘90 per cent toxic’
“He was an anaesthetist, he was about 11ft tall.
“I collapsed into his arms and started crying. I remember thinking, ‘I’m dead’.”;
Waking up alone, Jeremy spiralled into a panic and was comforted by a nurse.
Next came the agonising wait to find out if his cancer had been caught before spreading to other parts of his body.
He said: “I remember waking up to this amazing nurse, who stayed with me all night and held my hand.
“I was terrified. I thought if she went out of the door and the light went out, that was it. I thought I was dead.”;
When they took the testicle out, doctors informed Jeremy it was 90 per cent toxic.
If it had been “95 or 96 per cent toxic, it would have spread”;, he says — adding: “I was very lucky.”;
Jeremy went on to have rounds of chemotherapy and was later given the all clear.
He credits Flying Eze for “saving his life”; after a feature headlined “check your jingle jangles this Christmas”; encouraged him to go to the doctors in the first place.
Last year, Jeremy became a dad of six at 58 — having had two children, Oliver and Iris, with his wife Vicky since his cancer battle.
Jeremy is also a dad to 34-year-old Harriet from his first marriage and Alice, 21, Ava, 19, and son Henry, 16 from his second.
Jeremy and his third wife Vicky conceived naturally after he refused to freeze his sperm when diagnosed with cancer, admitting: “When they said ‘We’re going to take your testicle off, and you’re going to have chemotherapy’, the last thing I was thinking of was looking for a freezer.
“It was like a car crash down there — I never wanted to look down there again. Absolutely not.”;
Despite no plans to have more children, Jeremy previously told Flying Eze he’ll never get a vasectomy because of his cancer trauma.
I was terrified. I thought if she went out of the door and the light went out, that was it. I thought I was dead.
Jeremy Kyle
He said: “After what happened to me and now only having one testicle, the thought of having anyone go anywhere near my nether regions again is actually quite frightening.”;
Four months after his cancer battle, he returned to work on The Jeremy Kyle Show, which drew in one million viewers per episode after replacing chat show Trisha in 2005.
Jeremy continued to use lie detectors and DNA tests to expose cheating lovers.
But the ITV series was axed in 2019 after 3,320 episodes across 17 series following the suicide of Steve Dymond, who failed a lie detector test on the show a week before his death.
The construction worker appeared on the programme in a bid to win back his ex-fiancée Jane Callaghan after she suspected him of cheating.
He denied being unfaithful but failed a lie detector test. The footage was never broadcast.
Steve, who had a history of mental health issues and previously tried to take his own life on four occasions, overdosed seven days later.
Mental and physical toll
In September last year, a coroner cleared the show of any wrongdoing in connection to Dymond’s death.
Jeremy told Flying Eze after the verdict: “Somebody took their life because they were in a position where they saw no way out.
“It should never have been about me. It’s about Steve and his family.
“I think everybody would probably question [themselves] when something like that happens. You look at yourself in the mirror — of course you do. You would be inhuman not to, wouldn’t you?”;
Life Stories marks Jeremy’s return to ITV for the first time since 2019.
In the hour-long emotional interview, the Talk host told how he went through “five years of hell”; after being sacked as the inquest into Dymond’s death hung over him.
Symptoms of testicular cancer
The most common sign is a lump or swelling on one of your testicles, which is normally about the size of a pea.
Not all testicular lumps are cancerous, while only four per cent of scrotal lumps are, but you should still always get your GP to take a look.
Here are the signs to look out for:
- A lump or swelling in the testicle
- A heavy scrotum
- A dull ache or sharp pain in the testicles and scrotum
- A feeling of heaviness in the scrotum
- A difference in the texture or increase in firmness of the testicle
- A difference between one testicle and the other
To know if you have any signs of changes in your testicles, it's important to know what feels normal.
It's a good idea to have a hot shower before checking them, then gently roll your testicle between your thumb and finger.
Then repeat for the other testicle.
Repeat this every week so you get a feel for their shape and siz
He suffered a mental and physical toll and took antidepressants.
Jeremy will say on Life Stories: “I understand entirely that the Kyle Show had to fall on its sword.”;
And he reckons it will never return because viewers are now offended by the brutal honesty of his former programme. Jeremy said: “There’s that great line, ‘Do you want me to lie or do you want me to be honest?’ That was what people at that time craved.
“We live in a world now where people aren’t honest, are they? They’re too busy worrying about what kind of response they’re going to get.”;
Viewers were used to onstage brawls on The Jeremy Kyle Show as guests rowed over family and romantic relationships, sex and addiction.
Jeremy has always defended the programme against critics who claimed it mocked struggling working-class people.
He said: “We launched in 2005, that was just before the advent of social media and I think that changed everything.
“You can’t say boo to a goose now. Understandably, shows like that have gone by the by.
We live in a world now where people aren’t honest, are they? They’re too busy worrying about what kind of response they’re going to get.
Jeremy Kyle
“But I’m immensely proud of those numbers of episodes, taking it to America and the people that we genuinely helped.”;
Three years after his sacking from ITV, Jeremy joined News UK as a TalkRadio host.
But despite being back on his feet, Jeremy ended up flat on his face after tripping up on stage as he walked out in front of Life Stories’ live studio audience during filming earlier this year.
Even though he re-shot his entrance, ever-honest Jeremy told viewers about the embarrassing incident — describing himself as “clumsy and idiotic”;.
- Kate Garraway’s Life Stories featuring Jeremy Kyle airs tonight at 9pm on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player.
