Antiques Roadshow expert Theo Burrell, who was diagnosed with an aggressive uncurbable brain tumour aged just 35, is expected to undergo further treatment after scans showed her cancer has started regrowing.
Burrell, now 38, said she is ‘extremely grateful’ for the past two years and vowed to ‘take on the next step of my journey with everything I’ve got’.
The mother-of-one was told she had a glioblastoma in June 2022 after experiencing six months of migraine attacks that were so severe she could not bend over or lie down.
The disease is the most aggressive and most common type of cancer that originates in the brain.
A statement from Burrell said: ‘It’s with some heartbreak that I can confirm my glioblastoma has started regrowing.
‘Although this was always an inevitability it has been a difficult couple of weeks for me and my family, as we deal with the news and await a treatment plan.
‘I am extremely grateful for having had such a good quality of life over the last two years, and I intend to take on the next step of my journey with everything I’ve got.’
Following her initial diagnosis, Burrell, who lives in East Lothian with her partner and three-year-old son, opted to have surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
Medics told her that without treatment she would only have three months to live.
Last year the ceramics expert, who joined the long-running BBC series in 2018, spoke about the devastation of receiving her diagnosis just a year after welcoming her son Jonah.
‘Receiving my diagnosis, at the age of 35, when my son was just one year old, was devastating. Overnight everything had changed,’ Theo told the Daily Mail.
‘Suddenly I’d gone from being a healthy person in the middle of my life with a new baby to having incurable cancer with maybe one or two years left to live.’
In February, Theo revealed to fans that her symptoms – fatigue, headaches, nausea, dizziness – are intensifying with time, making life more difficult.
Burrell became a patron of the charity Brain Tumour Research in November 2023.
Earlier this year, she joined campaigners at Downing Street to hand in a petition signed by more than 80,000 people calling for more investment and research into brain cancer.
In April she welcomed the news that Brain Tumour Research and the Beatson Cancer Charity would establish a brain tumour research centre in Scotland in a bid to find a cure.
Speaking at the time Burrell said she continues to ‘make the best of each day’.
Dan Knowles, chief executive of Brain Tumour Research, added: ‘Theo has become a much-valued and important part of our family and is held in very high regard for her unwavering commitment to drive change in the future for others.
‘She is a fantastic patron who has developed a deep bond with countless patients and families who I know will now be offering their support and love at this very difficult time.
‘Our hearts go out to Theo and her family and friends as she takes this next step in her journey.’
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