BBC News presenter Maryam Moshiri has spoken for the first time about being diagnosed with blood cancer.
In a new interview with the broadcaster, Maryam disclosed that in November 2024, she was told she had polycythaemia vera (PV), a rare and treatable form of the disease.
She explained: “It’s been two years since my diagnosis and I’ve felt that I’ve started to understand the disease a lot better and the way it affects my life.
“I’ve got a handle on it to a degree now, so I felt it was really important to raise awareness.”
Maryam continued: “I’m going to have to spend the rest of my life being treated for this.”
The NHS website describes PV as a “slow-growing type of blood cancer”, which can be treated with medicine “to slow down the production of red blood cells”.
It can also present an increased risk of other conditions such as heart attacks and strokes.
Per the BBC, “symptoms can include headaches, confusion, dizziness and blurred vision”.
“I was told by my consultant that I have this incurable blood cancer,” she recalled. “Mostly I had no symptoms and that’s one of the problems with this disease.
“The only reason mine was caught was because my GP was so fastidious in the way she did my routine blood tests and immediately sent them for further diagnosis.”
Simon Ackerman via Getty Images
She added: “I think it’s really important people understand that this blood cancer is incurable but it’s manageable with the right treatment and you can lead a relatively healthy life.
“It’s just a question of finding the right treatment and making sure it works for you.”
Maryam has been with the BBC since 2003, and in 2024, began fronting her own show on weekday evenings, The World Today With Maryam Moshiri.
Recent years have seen Maryam commentating on major stories, including reporting on the death of Pope Francis, and subsequent papal conclave, from the Vatican, as well as the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor earlier this year.
Maryam and her husband, fellow journalist Jonathan Farmer, have three children.
