Bill Turnbull and Linda Nolan encourage public not to delay cancer checks

Bill Turnbull and Linda Nolan are among the celebrities joining NHS doctors in encouraging the public to attend cancer checks.

It comes after concerns have been raised that people have delayed seeking help when finding potential symptoms because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Former BBC Breakfast presenter Turnbull first divulged his incurable prostate cancer diagnosis in 2018, which saw a 36% increase in people being referred for prostate cancer.

He has since spoken about how he feels “calm” about death after living the disease for several years.

Read more: Bill Turnbull is ‘calm’ about the prospect of death

The 64-year-old said: “Cancer is a cruel disease and unfortunately it did not disappear during the coronavirus outbreak.

“We know that it’s all too easy to put something like this off, but please do contact the NHS if you have any signs of cancer.”

There has been a sharp drop in the number of people coming forward for cancer checks, with 141,643 referred in June compared with almost 200,000 during the same period last year.

Linda Nolan has also backed the call, just weeks after she and sister Anne revealed they had been diagnosed with cancer within days of each other.

The 61-year-old has liver cancer while her elder sister has stage three breast cancer. They lost sister Bernie to breast cancer in 2013.

Nolan, who is receiving chemotherapy at Blackpool Victoria Hospital, said: "The care I have received has been nothing short of exceptional, and I know people up and down the country have had similar experiences of the heroic work the NHS and staff are doing to continue to deliver the vital care we all need, even as they deal with the ongoing pandemic.

Read more: Coleen Nolan's son hits out at comedian for joke about cancer-stricken aunts

“So, whilst it might seem daunting, it’s important people know they can feel absolutely safe in the hands of the NHS going in for treatments.”

She added: "Cancer doesn’t wait, and timing is everything. It might be the very thing that makes all the difference.”

With additional reporting by PA.