BBC News presenter Maryam Moshiri reveals incurable cancer diagnosis

She shared the news in an interview

Moshiri is a familiar face on TV, presenting The World Today and has reported on a number of big stories, as well as being involved in a few viral moments.

The news anchor, who has been working at the BBC since 2003, revealed the diagnosis during an interview with The Times, in which she said she had been undergoing treatment for incurable blood cancer for the past two years.

Moshiri spoke to the outlet about the realities of living with Polycythaemia vera (PV), a rare type of cancer that affects the bone marrow and makes the blood thicker than normal.

She explained that she received the diagnosis in November 2024, but has continued working while receiving treatment.

The 49-year-old said: “I 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.”

Speaking about the fatigue induced by her treatment which involves removing blood to reduce the concentration of red blood cells, she described a trip to Rome in April last year following the death of Pope Francis.

She said: “I was working 14-hour days, constantly on air, constantly having to think on my feet, and holding it together, despite the fact that I had this chronic tiredness and fatigue.

“When you’re doing live news, you have this rush of adrenaline, and you just have to get on with it.”

Moshiri has three children, aged 13, 11 and 9.

She told The Times: “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.”

As per Blood Cancer UK, more than 300,000 people are living with or in remission from blood cancer.