Sue Perkins has had a brain tumour for past eight years
Great British Bake Off
host Sue Perkins has revealed she has been living with a brain tumour for the past eight years.
The tumour, which is non-cancerous, is in her pituitary gland, and prevents hers from having children.
Perkins, who is in a relationship with TV producer Anna Richardson, reportedly tells Good Housekeeping magazine that she first discovered the tumour while undergoing physical examination for an earlier BBC show she’d appeared in, Supersizers.
“I’m lucky that it’s benign so it’s not in itself a worrying thing,” she said.
“Sometimes it’s big and makes me mad, and sometimes it’s small and is in the background,” the 45-year-old added.
“Sometimes it screws up my hormones. I have various tests now to make sure the side effects aren’t too onerous.”
She told Good Housekeeping that the growth affects the secretion of reproductive hormones, which means she cannot have children.
“I don’t know if I would have gone on to have children,” she said. “But as soon as someone says you can’t have something, you want it more than anything.”
After news broke overnight, Perkins was flooded with messages of support from concerned fans – prompting her to tweet her thanks, but encouraging supporters to “focus on those less fortunate in the world.”
She tweeted: “Ta for sweet tweets about my prolactinoma. It’s benign & non-symptomatic. All fine.”
Ta for sweet tweets about my prolactinoma. It's benign & non-symptomatic. All fine,
Let's focus on those less fortunate in the world. X— Sue Perkins 💙 (@sueperkins) September 1, 2015
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