Chris Stark shared the exact moment he knew something was wrong during a routine check-up with his doctor before his cancer diagnosis.
The Capital FM Breakfast show host, 38, revealed on Monday that he had been diagnosed with testicular cancer, which was found during a routine doctor’s appointment a few months ago.
He appeared on This Morning with Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley on Thursday to discuss why it’s so important that people do regular self-check-ups to catch symptoms early.
During the chat, he recounted that he last-minute decided to mention his health concerns to his doctor after he asked if there was anything else he wanted to raise.
His doctor decided to do a live check-up, and immediately noticed a concerning symptom.
‘I had a weird, not feeling, I just wasn’t sure about testicular cancer or problems in that area and I just said to him “I’m not sure really what to do”. I was awkward about it,’ he explained.
Ban asked: ‘It was something to do with your testicles, they were sore or tender?’
To which Chris responded: ‘Yeah, I basically just wasn’t sure about everything and whilst I was there he actually said to me, “look should I just do a quick examination?” and in that moment I was like “yep”.
‘And as he was doing that it felt really sore on one side but it’s always felt sore so I just put it down to when you play football and someone kicks you… something like that.’
But this was not the case.
Chris continued: ‘Then at that point he told me it shouldn’t really feel sore and that could be a symptom of something else but it should be fine. He sent me to an ultrasound.’
After being told he had testicular cancer he said it was only then that they made him push his fingers down on the lump that he felt it and he had ‘been avoiding that because it was a bit of a pain’ which he just ‘wrote off’.
The retelling comes after Chris Stark returned to work and revealed the one family regret he’s had since the diagnosis.
Returning to the radio show on Tuesday, Chris reunited with fellow presenters Jordan North and Sian Welby, who praised him for his emotional statement as they welcomed him back.
Addressing the diagnosis, Chris said he was ‘happy to be back at work’ and opened up on undergoing chemotherapy as a preventative measure.
He also explained that he ‘felt like an idiot’ for not checking himself as he encouraged others to ensure they’re doing it regularly.
Chris explained that he’s undergone surgery to have one of his testiclesremoved following his diagnosis, adding: ‘Yeah, so last week, I made a decision to have chemotherapy as well, and the idea of that was to increase the chances of it… not coming back. So it’s preventative rather than curing anything.
‘So yeah, that’s where I have been sort of for the past ten days or so. It’s been rubbish and horrible but a lot of people go through this and I’m very aware of that. And so, I’ve made a decision that I want to talk about it because I think there’s a bit of a stigma around this thing and it’s quite a hard thing to talk about given the area that it’s in.’
Chris also discussed the importance of talking about testicular cancer as men, as he was praised by his colleagues for sharing his experience.
‘But testicular cancer is so treatable and it’s really common in men aged 18 to 49, this blew my mind when I found out about so I think it’s really important to talk about it. And if it means that me being honest about what I have gone through and sharing my experience – I’m happy to do it if it means that that conversation is a bit easier for other blokes.
‘Maybe it will encourage some people to go and check themselves, because I didn’t do that properly and I feel like an idiot. I feel like I put my family at risk, I feel like I put a lot of personal things at risk and I really regret that, it really annoys me. I just want to encourage people to go check themselves and if that potentially leads to something good from this situation then I’m really happy to put my one ball on the line for that.’
The media personality, who shot to fame on BBC Radio 1, shared the news of the diagnosis in an emotional social media post, saying it was found during a routine appointment.
Chris wrote: ‘It’s a tricky subject matter to talk about but I’m willing to put my now one ball on the line here if it helps make that conversation less tricky for guys and encourages someone to check themselves and potentially save a life.’
The radio star signed off his post by thanking his friends, family and co-workers for their support, as well as the medical team who have been caring for him.
He added: ‘I also want to take a moment to send my thoughts and prayers to anyone affected by cancer. Check your balls.’
Who is Chris Stark after radio presenter’s devastating cancer diagnosis?
Chris started working in radio for Radio Northwick Park when he was 16 and has worked at several other stations including Galaxy, Real Radio, Virgin Radio and BBC 6 Music.
He shot to fame after joining BBC Radio One’s Scott Mills show in 2012, leaving the broadcaster a decade later.
Since 2022, he has presented the breakfast show on Capital FM. He co-hosts the show with Sian Welby and Jordan North.
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Chris is also the host on the award-winning That Peter Crouch Podcast alongside Peter and Tom Fordyce.
As well as radio, Chris has appeared on a number of TV shows, including a one-off Channel 4 documentary where he attempted to interview his ultimate bucket list of celebrities. This included Ricky Hatton, Verne Troyer, and Emma Thompson.
He’s also appeared on E4’s Virtually Famous, CBBC’s The Dog Ate My Homework, Celebrity Mastermind and a celebrity edition of Robot Wars.
Chris is married to longtime partner Ria Holland. They have a daughter, who was born in 2015. In July 2020, Chris announced on the radio show that his wife had given birth to a son.
Macmillan cancer support
If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with cancer, Macmillan can offer support and information.
You can contact their helpline on 0808 808 00 00 (7 days a week from 8am to 8pm), use their webchat service, or visit their site for more information.
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