Edwina Bartholomew has admitted that getting cancer may end up being the ‘best thing that has ever happened’ to her, though it’s still ‘too early’ to say for certain.
The Sunrise star, 41, revealed she had been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML)—a type of blood and bone marrow cancer—live on air in September.
And this weekend she told Stellar Magazine that the horror news she received at her GP has since brought nothing but ‘love’ to her life.
‘I think it’s too early to say it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me because we’ll see how things pan out,’ she told the publicaiton.
‘But the most powerful thing that happened this year is finding out. I felt the extraordinary force of love from everyone—everyone I’ve ever met.
The TV personality went on to say her ‘phone absolutely lit up’ as she was contacted by ex-boyfriends, real estate agents, and her mortgage broker after revealing her diagnosis.
Edwina Bartholomew, 41, (pictured) has admitted that getting cancer may end up being the ‘best thing that has ever happened’ to her, though it’s still ‘too early’ to say for certain
‘I really felt what it was like to be loved. And I learnt what it is to love. So deeply. And to realise what’s so important to me. I would never give that back,’ she added.
Elsewhere in the interview, Edwina also revealed she has kept her cancer diagnosis a secret from her children Molly, four, and Tom, two.
The presenter, who shares her kids with husband Neil Varcoe, said she feels her children are simply too young to understand.
Edwina was first diagnosed in July and has since cut down on her work with the popular Channel Seven breakfast program Sunrise to focus on her health.
She has mostly remained out of the spotlight in recent months, but has now given an update on her health and revealed whether she will be returning to her full-time TV work.
Speaking to Stellar’s Something To Talk About podcast, Edwina said she still finds it a ‘shock’ to say she has leukaemia after months of processing the difficult diagnosis.
She said she feels extremely lucky because they caught the cancer early as she reassured her fans that she is doing ‘really well’ and has had ‘fantastic’ test results so far.
Edwina said the diagnosis prompted her to start taking care of her health and she has now cut out gluten, coffee, alcohol and sugar from her diet and has taken up more exercise.
The Sunrise star revealed she had been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML)—a type of blood and bone marrow cancer—live on air in September
She admitted her diagnosis has made her rethink her mindset on life and realise that she cannot continue waking up at 3am for her early morning gig hosting on Sunrise.
‘The 24/7 go, go, go approach I had to life for the past 40 years had to shift. This has definitely been a huge takeaway for me that life can’t continue like that,’ she went on.
‘I’ve had to say to work, “I can’t now go back to work five days a week at 3am in the morning, it’s not something that I can do.”‘
Edwina’s remarks about cutting down on her TV work come after it was rumoured she is shifting from her long-held role at the Seven breakfast show.
She is said to be planning to move to the network’s Sydney newsroom when veteran newsreader Ann Sanders, 64, announces her retirement, according to news.com.au.
The proposed move is said to make things easier for Edwina, who would no longer have to wake up at 3am to get ready for work amid her health struggles.
In September, Edwina revealed live on-air that she had been diagnosed with cancer in a tearful admission.
‘I have been diagnosed with cancer. That’s a shock and hard to say,’ she sadly told viewers.
And this weekend she told Stellar Magazine that the horror news she received at her GP has since brought nothing but ‘love’ to her life
‘It is a really good kind. It is called chronic myeloid leukaemia. It can be treated with a daily tablet. If I can take care of myself, I will be completely fine,’ she continued.
The veteran TV star then began to break down in tears before telling the audience: ‘I thought I could keep it together.’
Edwina went on to reveal her co-star Natalie Barr was to thank for her getting diagnosed as quickly as she had been.
Nat had her own cancer scare in June, after a routine skin check uncovered skin cancer on her nose, which persuaded Edwina to undergo a full health check at her own doctors.
‘I had a mammogram after I had a few lumps. That came back all clear. I even had an eye check,’ she explained.
‘That’s fine. But my doctor sent me to get routine blood tests at the same time, one of those tests came back with levels out of whack.’
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.
According to Mayo Clinic, CML is an uncommon type of cancer in the bone marrow and is very slow to progress.
Advances in treatment have improved the prognosis of people with CML and most people diagnosed with it can achieve remission and live for many years.
Edwina opened up to this week’s edition of Stellar Magazine
