BBC Breakfast’s Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt announced some sad news on Friday’s show
09:01, 28 Nov 2025
BBC Breakfast took a poignant turn on Friday as Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty welcomed a father and son duo who had both battled prostate cancer.
The Elson family shared their heart-wrenching story with BBC Breakfast, discussing the impact of the disease on their lives. Both Harry and Jeremy Elson were diagnosed with the illness, but while Jeremy’s cancer was caught early, his father wasn’t as fortunate.
Charlie began by saying, “There have been growing calls for more prostate cancer screening in the UK, including from Sir Chris Hoy, former prime ministers Rishi Sunak and Lord David Cameron.”
Naga added, “This afternoon, an expert advisory panel will announce whether it believes the government should introduce a screening programme.”
Charlie continued, “Ahead of the decision, our reporter Tim Muffett visited a family which has seen three generations diagnosed with the disease,” reports the Express.
Tim initiated the interview by asking Harry’s wife and Jeremy’s mother about the impact of their diagnosis on the family. She revealed that it had “turned their life upside down” and was “devastating.”
Naga and Charlie on BBC Breakfast(Image: BBC)READ MORE: BBC Breakfast’s Naga Munchetty called out as she says ‘I’m just doing my job’READ MORE: BBC Breakfast’s Naga Munchetty shares heart-breaking update minutes into show
She expressed, “Harry and I are always so close, so loving, and to have him diagnosed with what is a…could be a terminal disease was life-shattering.”
Before discussing his own condition, Harry mentioned that his father and his father’s brothers died of prostate cancer.
“I am stage four,” Harry revealed, before adding, “Which means to say that it’s got outside of the capsule and gone into my body, into my bones, not curable.”
Harry then began to tear up as his son, Jeremy, opened up about his own battle with prostate cancer.
He said, “It was considered an old man’s disease, probably, and I think that we know now that it’s not.”
Harry broke down while discussing his diagnosis(Image: BBC)
In a voiceover, Tim explained, “As this family has discovered, an early diagnosis of prostate cancer can make all the difference. Harry’s son, Jeremy, was also diagnosed with the condition, but at a much earlier stage than his dad.”
Jeremy’s diagnosis was caught early due to his proactive approach in getting tested because of his family history. Despite his PSA levels being low, he started experiencing groin pain, which led to further tests and ultimately revealed he had prostate cancer.
He continued, “So they discovered it because of their interventions, as early as one can discover prostate cancer, and in my case, I’ve been cured. You know, the disease no longer exists to me.”
However, the same couldn’t be said for Jeremy’s father. When asked about that, Harry confessed, “No, it does make me furious, if I think about it, and I know with Margaret, but the thing is, it’s no good dwelling on it, really.”
Harry’s son Jeremy is also battling prostate cancer(Image: BBC)
Harry’s wife Margaret added, “I’m really so angry for him. This could have been stopped if we had realised that he should have pushed a bit more at the GP.
“I know there are lots of people who have much worse diagnoses and are in much worse condition. Truly, I don’t much care about other people, which sounds very callous. I care about Harry and the family.”
Harry became emotional as he shared, “Margaret’s just been a rock. She does everything. She organises me, the hospital runs, the tablets, and chemotherapy. She has been a huge support.
“I want to carry that flag for people who have got stage four, say it’s not the end of the road.”
BBC Breakfast is broadcast daily at 6am on BBC Breakfast.
