Presenter Nick Owen was ‘humbled’ to hear from men he urged to get a cancer test

On By Littum

Presenter Nick Owen said it is “humbling” and “overwhelming” to speak to men who were urged to be tested for prostate cancer after he shared his diagnosis publicly.

Owen, who was diagnosed with the disease last year, said he was “absolutely thrilled” and “amazed” after he was made an MBE by the Princess Royal for services to broadcasting and charity at Windsor Castle on Tuesday.

Speaking after the ceremony, Owen said the response had been “absolutely phenomenal” when he announced his diagnosis and discussed his experiences on BBC Midlands Today and BBC Breakfast in August 2023.

At the time of his diagnosis, Owen said he had “no symptoms at all” and urged other men to be tested for the disease.

The BBC Midlands Today host, 76, said: “Literally thousands of people wrote and got in touch, whether they were husbands or wives or mothers, saying ‘you’ve finally persuaded my husband, brother, son to do something about it ‘, and the response was overwhelming.

“Just last week I met someone, it was very humbling, they said I saved his life because he went and got a PSA (prostate specific antigen test) because of what I said on TV and it turned out that he had had it and he had an operation.

“And I’m meeting another one in about a week’s time, just like saying I helped save his life because he went and had a PSA as a result of my appeal and he got the diagnosis.

It’s good to say, after everything we’ve been through as a family, something good came out of it, something positive and that’s a great feeling

Nick Owen MBE

Asked how it felt to talk to people who say he helped save their lives, Owen said: “It’s very humbling, overwhelming and very satisfying.

“It’s good to say that after everything we went through as a family, something good came out of it, something positive, and that’s a great feeling.”

Of his diagnosis, Owen said it was a “pretty difficult time” and “scary,” but said his prognosis right now “looks very good.”

When asked what else needs to be done to raise awareness of getting prostate cancer early and getting tested: “I’m really happy that it’s being talked about so much more now than it would have been a few years ago , because we men are quite reluctant to talk about private things the way women do – we don’t, and I hope that changes.”

The former chairman of Luton Town Football Club is also known for his broadcasting partnership with journalist Anne Diamond – along with their stint at TV-am, they had their own current affairs morning program on the BBC in the 1990s, Good Morning With Anne And Nick.

Owen went on to say he was “very grateful” for his 46-year career in television.

He added: “You get to interview so many people – I think I’ve interviewed seven or eight prime ministers now as well as top showbiz stars from around the world and sports stars and so on.

“I’m just grateful for so many different aspects of my life, the great variety, the opportunities and the people I’ve met and the events I’ve been to.

“I guess I’m a lucky boy.”

As well as his work with the charity Prostate Cancer UK, Owen is a patron of the charity Baby Lifeline, which aims to improve the safe care of pregnant women and newborn babies, and he has been a supporter of the charity Edward’s Trust for more than 30 years.