Edwina Bartholomew’s husband has paid tribute to his ‘strong’ wife after her shock on-air admission on Friday that she has cancer.
The veteran presenter, 41, tearfully shared that she has been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia – a type of blood and bone marrow cancer – live on Sunrise.
On Saturday, her husband Neil Varcoe shared an Instagram post showing an image of the presenter alongside a moving caption.
‘Edwina is the strongest person I know. She’ll get through this. We’ll get through this. Thanks for your support’ he wrote.
Just hours after the news, Edwina took to Instagram to thank fans for their support and give an insight into her life with her beloved family since receiving the diagnosis.
She shared an array of photographs of herself with her farmer husband Neil, 42, and their two beloved children – daughter Molly, four, and son Tom, two.
One picture showed Edwina and her husband Neil smiling at one another and sharing a look of love as he supported his wife through the difficult time.
Another adorable snap showed her son Tom carrying their house’s door stop on an outdoor walk, which Edwina revealed was a ‘reminder that life goes on’ in a caption.
Edwina Bartholomew ‘s husband has paid tribute to his ‘strong’ wife after her shock on-air admission on Friday that she has cancer (pictured with Neil)
In the emotional post, Edwina also admitted it has been a ‘strangely joyous time’ with her family despite her diagnosis and thanked her fans for their support.
She penned: ‘Thank you. Thank you so much for all the love. This past month has been such a strangely joyous time.
‘The day I got back from having my bone marrow biopsy, Tom insisted on taking the door snake to the park.
‘It made me laugh so much to accompany him down the street with the damn thing flung over his shoulder. It was a lovely reminder that life goes on.
On Saturday, her husband Neil Varcoe shared an Instagram post showing an image of the presenter alongside a moving caption
Edwina is the strongest person I know. She’ll get through this. We’ll get through this. Thanks for your support’ he wrote
‘I have been ocean swimming, dreaming up plans with @neilwrites and handing out a lot of hugs. Long may that continue xx.’
Edwina has been married to her farmer husband Neil, 42, for six years. They first met over a decade ago while working together on radio station 2GB.
She has previously given a candid insight into their family life, revealing how she and her beloved husband share an unconventional living arrangement.
After they tied the knot in 2018, Edwina and Neil moved into a Sydney home, but sleep in different bedrooms to ensure they both got a good night’s rest.
She recently told Stellar Magazine that despite their love for each other being stronger than ever, they have not slept in the same bed for years.
‘We have been sleeping in separate rooms for about 10 years, long before we were married and had kids,’ Edwina shared.
Just hours after the news, Edwina took to Instagram to thank fans for their support and give an insight into her life with her beloved family since receiving the diagnosis. She shared an array of photographs of herself with her farmer husband Neil, 42, and their two beloved children – daughter Molly, four, and son Tom, two
Edwina has been married to her farmer husband Neil, 42, for six years. They first met over a decade ago while working together on radio station 2GB
The South Australian-born star explained that while they both initially ‘hated the idea’ of sleeping apart, they realised it worked for them and grew to love it.
In 2022, Neil was laid off from his role at Twitter in Australia, and in a shock move, he became an agriculture farmer in Carcoar, NSW, 260km from Sydney.
Neil left his job at Twitter following Elon Musk’s takeover – and rebranding of the site to X – and moved to Capertee Valley, three hours west of Sydney.
He now works as the ‘chief farming officer’ at Warramba – the 1890s farm he and Edwina lovingly restored several years ago.
However, Edwina chose to stay in Sydney to ensure she could continue her role at Sunrise, meaning the lovebirds adapted to a long distance relationship.
‘My husband lives in the country with the dog, I live in the city with the kids. Each weekend, we traipse back and forth between the two or meet somewhere in the middle,’ she told Stellar.
‘It feels like a Love Actually airport reunion every time we come together with a slow-motion embrace and those newlywed feels.’
Edwina added while their living arrangements might seem unconventional, it works for both of them and their children, saying their love is stronger than ever.
After they tied the knot in 2018, Edwina and Neil moved into a Sydney home together – but slept in different bedrooms to ensure they both got a good night’s rest
On Friday, Edwina revealed she has been diagnosed with cancer in a tearful on-air admission during Sunrise.
The Seven star found out about her shock diagnosis in July and kept it secret from the public, telling only a few friends at work.
Revealing her diagnosis publicly on Friday, the TV star broke down as she admitted: ‘I have been diagnosed with cancer. That’s a shock and hard to say.’
‘It is a really good kind, called chronic myeloid leukaemia. It can be treated with a daily tablet. If I take care of myself, I will be completely fine,’ she went on.
The veteran TV star then began to weep before telling the audience: ‘I thought I could keep it together.’
Edwina went on to reveal her co-star Natalie Barr was actually to thank for her getting diagnosed as quickly as she had been.
Her colleague, 56, had her own cancer scare in June after a routine skin check uncovered skin cancer on her nose.
Concerned about her own health, Edwina visited her doctor for a mammogram, blood tests and a skin check – before discovering the news.
‘I feel very, very lucky and I wanted to share this with you for a couple of reasons,’ Edwina continued.
‘Firstly, because everyone at home and here has been here for all the wonderful times, for the engagements, and the weddings and the babies, for all of us. It felt right to share this with you too.
‘Many of you have been in similar situations or much, much worse and come out the other side stronger… and more resilient. That’s exactly what I plan to do.’
Edwina said the other reason she wished to share her sad news was because she wanted to encourage others to prioritise their health as well.
‘Please, particularly for mums who always take care of everyone else, please take care of yourself too. And just check in with your doctor,’ she said.
After thanking her bosses at Sunrise, Edwina revealed to viewers that she will be ‘taking time off in September’ before cutting down on her work at Sunrise.
On Friday, Edwina revealed she has been diagnosed with cancer in a tearful on-air admission during Sunrise. The TV star broke down as she shared: ‘I have been diagnosed with cancer’
The former Dancing With The Stars co-host said she will knock her work responsibilities down to just a few days a week at Sunrise when she returns.
‘I just do need to take care of myself and rest. We are unbelievably lucky to have access to that in this country, and that that’s the kind [of cancer] I have,’ she said.
‘Also, I’ve reacted really well to the medication so far which is fantastic. I have no side effects.
‘I also had no symptoms, which is why I wanted to give that health warning at all. I didn’t have anything.’
Edwina went on to say chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) often doesn’t present symptoms, but can become very serious if left untreated.