BBC Presenter Maryam Moshiri Reveals Hidden Battle With Incurable Blood Cancer

For nearly two years, BBC News presenter Maryam Moshiri continued appearing before millions of viewers, delivering major international stories while privately navigating a life-changing health diagnosis.

The 49-year-old broadcaster has now revealed that she was diagnosed with polycythaemia vera (PV), a rare and incurable form of blood cancer, in November 2024.

Rather than stepping away from the career she loves, Moshiri has continued working while undergoing treatment and managing the physical and emotional demands of living with the condition.

PV affects the bone marrow, causing the body to produce too many red blood cells, which can make the blood thicker and increase the risk of serious complications, including blood clots. Although there is currently no cure, the condition can be managed through long-term treatment.

Moshiri said her diagnosis came after routine blood tests revealed abnormalities. She had not initially been alarmed because she did not have obvious symptoms, making the discovery particularly difficult to process.

Treatment, however, has not been easy.

Her medical journey has included regular venesections, a procedure in which blood is removed to reduce the concentration of red blood cells, as well as immunotherapy. She has described some of the treatment and its side effects as gruelling, with fatigue and other debilitating symptoms affecting her daily life.

Yet, through the exhaustion, Moshiri has continued to present the news.

Her decision to remain at work reflects the complicated reality of living with a chronic illness while maintaining the routines and responsibilities of everyday life. For viewers, she remained a familiar face behind the news desk; away from the cameras, she was managing hospital appointments, treatment and the uncertainty that comes with an incurable diagnosis.

Moshiri, who is a mother of three, has now chosen to speak publicly about her condition as part of an awareness campaign with Blood Cancer UK.

Her disclosure is intended not only to explain her absence from public discussion about her health, but also to draw attention to people living with what can be a largely invisible illness.

For Moshiri, the diagnosis has not meant putting her life on hold.

Instead, she is learning to live alongside the disease, continue doing the work she loves and make room for treatment within an otherwise demanding life.

Her story is a reminder that illness is not always visible. Behind the confidence of a television presenter, the professional routine and the familiar face on screen, there can exist a private struggle that audiences never see.