Daytime telly icon Trisha Goddard has swapped the studio for a house full of famous faces as she joins the Celebrity Big Brother line-up after being diagnosed with terminal breast cancer.
In February last year, the talk show host and TV presenter announced that her cancer had returned after being given the all-clear back in 2008. The 67 year old is currently receiving treatment for her illness, making her the first-ever Big Brother contestant undergoing palliative care whilst in the house.
Why is Trisha Goddard taking part in Celebrity Big Brother?
In her introductory video, Trisha shared that her cancer diagnosis was her reason for saying yes to the reality show. "I'm going into the Big Brother house to show that you can't be so scared of dying that you become frightened of living."
The star admitted that she's "been asked to do it every single year" and always thought, "Are you kidding me?", but this time, it felt that it was right.
“Being on Big Brother would show people how you can live successfully with cancer and not be so scared of dying that you become scared of living. So that's why I'm doing it.”
Trisha Goddard will be supported by her health team whilst she's in the house. "My oncologist is my biggest cheerleader and is working with the Big Brother team. I’ve got a special therapist who’s happy to work with the medic on the show", she explained.
"My palliative care team – and when I say that word, everybody screams and runs away, but it’s symptom treatment – is working with the team here too.
"And then when it comes to my treatment, I had one infusion on Monday, so I’ve got to jump on a plane and go straight back to have the next one as soon as the show is over. I’ve got a bag full of meds that I normally have which will be with me in the house."
Trisha Goddard cancer diagnosis
Back in 2008, Trisha - who now lives in America - recovered from her first breast cancer diagnosis, only to be diagnosed with terminal metastatic breast cancer 16 years later, after falling in her home in Connecticut, US, back in 2022, where doctors found that it was in her hip.
Her treatment began in the same year, the morning after her fourth wedding. She underwent three weeks of daily radiation treatment and four months of weekly chemotherapy, before opting for ‘life prolonging care’.
"It’s not going to go away. And with that knowledge comes grief, and fear. But I must keep enjoying what I have always enjoyed," she told Hello! earlier this year.
Understandably, Trisha - who has two daughters Billie, 34, and Madison, 30, with her ex-husband Mark Grieve - chose to keep the news of her stage four cancer private from the public as well as her colleagues at CNN and TalkTV.
"I was grappling with how to deal with it myself. Plus I just wanted to work and be me,’ she said on GMB. ‘With CNN and my colleagues there, they didn’t know that I had no hair, that I had no feeling in my legs from the treatment, because I had chemo every week for four and a half months."
"My worry is that people will start seeing me as a frail little thing, and that if [the news] got out, I’d be judged, or people would change the way they are with me, or that I wouldn’t work.’
However, it was 'difficult' for Trisha to keep her diagnosis a secret for so long, "I can’t lie; I can’t keep making up stories. It gets to a stage, after a year and a half, when keeping a secret becomes more of a burden than anything else."
Trisha documents her journey on social media @therealtrishagoddard.
Trisha Goddard on Good Morning Britain
Back in August 2024, Trisha Goddard made her debut as a guest presenter on Good Morning Britain, days after she spoke about her terminal breast cancer diagnosis live on the show.
The 66-year-old TV star - who fronted her own talk show in the ‘90s and 2000s - joined co-host Richard Madeley as a guest presenter on the 13th and 14th August. Speaking of Filling in for Kate Garraway, she said: "Not going to lie… started off a little bit nervous but Richard Madeley and the GMB team are just so sweet and supportive, so managed to get into my stride".
Who is Trisha Goddard's husband?
Trisha Goddard and her fourth husband, Allen, tied the knot in 2022. The ceremony took place at a local restaurant in Connecticut on August 28, 2022, where they were joined by their close family and friends.
Speaking of the occasion, Trisha gushed, "I'm so happy! I said I’d never say [I ]do though again… but...
"First time ANYONE has bought ME an engagement ring! In the past I’ve had to buy my own… For the first time in my life, I’ve met someone who looks after me instead of visa versa. I am just so HAPPY!!"
How old is Trisha Goddard?
Born on the 23rd of December 1957, Trisha Goddard is 67 years old.
Arabella Horspool is a Commercial Content Writer for Yours at Bauer Media. She's a bookworm who is passionate about TV, film and theatre.