Calendar presenter Christine Talbot on her fight against breast cancer

CHRISTINE Talbot has always been honoured to start the Leeds Race for Life , but this year it took on a special poignancy.

“I’ve always empathised with the other people running, many who have had cancer, others with the names of people they’ve lost on their shirts, but this year I was really one of them and I understood how emotional and how hard it can be.”

Just days before starting, and taking part in the Temple Newsham event, the Calendar News presenter had completed eight gruelling sessions of chemotherapy. She was diagnosed with the most aggressive form of breast cancer the day before New Year’s Eve last year and announced in January that she would be taking a break from our screens to concentrate on her treatment.

“It was a huge shock to me and my husband Chris,” admits the 40-something.

“I felt a lump on Christmas Eve but I thought it was part of my rib cage. Then after Christmas it was still there, so on December 30 I went to the doctor and they said not to be alarmed but they wanted me to see a consultant.”

Chris, a former policeman, accompanied Christine to see the specialist still confident that it was nothing serious.

“Chris had gone to take a phone call when I got called in, that’s how sure we were that there was nothing too worry about, but then the consultant examined me and said the words I will never for get. He said ‘I’ve rarely seen an innocent explanation for what I can feel.’ I knew then really. It was awful because it was the day before New Year’s Eve and everything shut down for four days so we couldn’t have any more tests. We were just numb. It was probably the worst New Year I’ve ever had.”

Christine’s first thoughts were for her 14-year-old daughter, Beth.

“I just thought ‘I’m going to die’ but if I can live long enough to get Beth to be about 19 then I would be happy. I didn’t want to leave her while she’s still a teenager and really needs her mum. I want to be around for her when she goes to college.

“Once I know she’s grown up I can leave her then.”

While It has been important for Christine to keep life as normal as possible for Beth, she also didn’t want to hide things from her.

“She knew we’d been to the hospital and so I told her that there was a problem, but the doctors are reassured us that it was treatable and that I was going to be okay. She just said ‘cool’ like most teenagers would.”

At time during her chemotherapy, however, she admits that it was tough.

“The treatment just made me incredibly tired. I was a little sick at the beginning and had a few other side effects, but it was the tiredness that was the most debilitating – it felt like having flu. Then after about ten days you’d start to feel better just in time to start chemo again.

“I always take Beth to singing lessons one night a week and I was determined to keep doing this, to keep things as normal for her no matter how ill I felt.”

As well as worrying about Beth, Christine says in the first few weeks after her diagnosis she couldn’t help thinking that it might have been something she had done that had led to the cancer.

“I have no family history of breast cancer and that is something I have learnt since being diagnosed that you it doesn’t necessarily run in families. I kept myself fit and tried to live a healthy lifestyle, but you can’t help thinking that it is something I’d done, or should I have spotted it sooner.”

However, quite quickly Christine‘s attitude became much more positive and she is now dealing with the cancer with the practicality and northern grit that she uses in her demanding job.

“If something goes wrong at work and you are on live television you just have to think ‘right, that happened, how am I going to get out of it?’ and then I just get on and deal with it, and that is how I now feel about the cancer. I just have to deal with the treatment and get on with it.”

And that treatment is far from over. She is waiting for a date for a lumpectomy and that will be followed by radiotherapy.

“I am apprehensive about it,” she admits. “But they have told me that despite being an aggressive form of cancer it has not spread to my lymph nodes which is good news and that it is treatable.”

Christine, who lives near Wetherby, has been overwhelmed by the support and good wishes of family, friends, colleagues and complete strangers since she decided to go public with her diagnosis in January.

“I knew that I had to take a break from work to fight this as I knew it would be too hard to perform in front of the camera every night, looking good when feeling terrible. We decided to tell people why I was leaving, for one thing I didn’t want people to think I’d been sacked, and also it was likely to get out and I wanted to be honest with people. But I have been knocked for six by the response I have had from people. I have been contacted by women who have been through the same thing as me and many of them are now good friends.”

Christine’s diagnosis and decision to take a break from Calendar came at a difficult time for the programme.

“Head of News Will Venters died in January from cancer in his 50s, just as I was having tests. It was a very bleak time at Calendar, Will forged the links with Race for Life and that was another reason why taking part was so important and so poignant this year.

“My bosses Margaret (Emsley) and Duncan (Wood) have been amazing. Duncan pops round weekly to see how I’m doing and keep me up to date.

“I am enjoying my time at home, being able to spend time with Beth and Chris, but I am looking forward to getting back to Calendar which is like my second family and they have been so supportive.”

Christine says having cancer brings with it mixed emotions.

“While I would never wish to have cancer, these past few months have been some of the best and worst of times.

“Having had this makes me want to live life as much to the full.

“It makes me appreciate every day what I’ve got.

“My consultant said I will get through this, but he said that nothing will be the same again and I think he is right.

“It’s given me an insight into life and people that I have never had before and I will never forget.”