BBC News presenter Maryam Moshiri reveals she has cancer
BBC News presenter Maryam Moshiri has publicly disclosed her diagnosis of polycythaemia vera, a rare and incurable form of blood cancer. She shared her experience with the chronic condition to raise awareness about the 'hidden' nature of blood cancers.
Why it matters
Public figures sharing health struggles helps destigmatize chronic illnesses and increases public awareness of rare conditions.
BBC News presenter Maryam Moshiri has revealed she is living with blood cancer.
The 49-year-old was diagnosed in November 2024 with polycythaemia vera (PV), which cannot be cured but is treatable.
She said: "When I was first told to have blood tests, I wasn't worried because I didn’t really have any symptoms. I thought: It can’t happen to me.
"Even after I was told I had PV, I didn’t really understand what it meant.
"It was a cruel blow to realise that while I could have treatment, this was a cancer that was incurable."
PV is rare, affecting about 8,000 people in the UK, and usually develops slowly.
With this type of cancer, the body makes too many red blood cells, which makes the blood thicker than normal.
This leads to a higher risk of developing blood clots, which can cause a stroke, heart attack or deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
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