BBC Antiques Roadshow star shares devastating brain tumour update: ‘Regrowth has been confirmed’
BBC Antiques Roadshow star Theo Burrell has updated fans with the heartbreaking news about her battle with brain cancer.
The decorative arts specialist shared the news in an Instagram post as she revealed that she is due to begin chemotherapy again soon.
Burrell has been an auctioneer and specialist at the Lyon & Turnbull auction house in Edinburgh since 2011.
She joined Antiques Roadshow as an expert in 2018 and has appraised many beloved heirlooms across her career.
In 2022, the auctioneer was diagnosed with a grade four brain tumour, or Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM). She quickly underwent extensive surgery to remove the growth and undertook a long chemotherapy routine.
GBM’s are almost always fatal – with the average lifespan of sufferers being only 12-18 months and just 5 per cent living past five years.
Despite the grim news, Burrell regularly keeps fans updated on her brave cancer battle and became a patron of charity Brain Tumour Research.
However, the antiques specialist was dealt a devastating blow as her most recent results confirmed her tumour has returned.
“Results are in and regrowth has been confirmed. It’s been a tough few months and it’s not the news we wanted but at least answers have been given,” Burrell wrote in the post.
She continued: “I’ll be starting back on chemo (Temozolomide) in the next couple of weeks. So it’s onwards and forwards (upwards is maybe a little too cheery for me right now!) I go.”
Last week, Burrell candidly reflected on her journey alongside an Instagram post showing the “gruesome” scar left by her brain surgery.
“It really is an experience filled with glamour and beauty,” Burrell joked, keeping positive as she awaited Wednesday’s results.
The auctioneer also shared an inspiring message to fans: “Still being alive reminds me of something important – a life expectancy at the beginning of diagnosis is an educated guess, NOT a fact.
“Sometimes it’s an overestimation, sometimes it’s spot on, and sometimes you’re condemned but manage to beat the prediction. We’re all unique, our cancers are unique – all we can do is put one foot in front of the other,” she continued.
Burrell concluded: “I’m always thinking of those not with us any longer – the fight continues for them, for us, and for those to come.”
In October, the Antiques Roadshow star shared the news that her tumour had returned, and she was awaiting further results.
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“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,” she said in an Instagram post on October 2.
The specialist continued: “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.
“If anything, this has just fuelled my fire to keep fighting for us all.”
