‘I don't know how I'm going to be in six months’: BBC presenter Maryam Moshiri diagnosed with incurable blood cancer

BBC News presenter Maryam Moshiri has been diagnosed with polycythaemia vera (PV), a rare, incurable type of blood cancer.

While there is no cure for the presenter's condition, it can be managed effectively as a chronic illness.

Maryam has been working at the BBC since 2003, and the 49-year-old has three children aged 13, 11 and nine.

She was given her diagnosis in 2024, and how now shared it publicly to raise awareness about the disease.

"It's been two years since my diagnosis and I've felt that I've started to understand the disease a lot better and the way it affects my life," she told the BBC.

Maryam adds, "I've got a handle on it to a degree now, so I felt it was really important to raise awareness. I'm going to have to spend the rest of my life being treated for this."

The presenter shares that she "had no symptoms" which is "one of the problems with this disease."

Her illness was found because "my GP was so fastidious in the way she did my routine blood tests and immediately sent them for further diagnosis."

According to Cancer Research UK, PV is a slow developing cancer that affects the bone marrow, and causes an increase in the number of blood cells.

For those with the condition, their stem cells make too many red blood cells, and white blood cells and platelets may also be affected.

Too many red blood cells can make the blood thicker, and having thicker blood makes it more difficult for your blood to flow around the body. This can increase the risk of blood clots, and those with a higher number of platelets may also be at risk of haemorrhage.

As part of her treatment, Maryam has undergone venesection sessions. This procedure involves a needle being inserted into a vein in the arm to slowly draw out blood, which can reduce its thickness.

She reports that after these sessions, "my iron levels hit the floor" and she was left "exhausted."

"After a while I started feeling extremely unwell and tired. I started losing my hair, I got itchy all over my body, but the main symptom was fatigue," Maryam explains.

The presenter adds, "I think it's really important people understand that this blood cancer is incurable but it's manageable with the right treatment and you can lead a relatively healthy life."

However, the side effects can be unpredictable. While she wants to continue working and playing with her children, the presenter can sometimes be hindered by fatigue.

"love what I do. I love being where the story is. I don’t want to allow blood cancer to stop me from doing my work," she told The Times.

She continues, "During my worst times when I was going through really quite gruelling treatment, I wasn’t there for my kids.

"I’d be lying on the sofa, and my son would say, ‘mummy, can you come play football with me in the garden?’ And you just can’t. You’re too tired."

Concerned about telling her children about her diagnosis, Maryam shares, "It took me a long time to be able to tell them about this illness, because I don't want to worry them, but they have been so understanding."

Weighing in on the unpredictable nature of the condition, Maryam concludes, "Even though I feel the best I have in two years, I don't know how I'm going to be in six months, one year, two years."