Trisha Goddard is making history as the first-ever Celebrity Big Brother contestant to undergo cancer treatment while taking part in the show.
On Monday evening, the TV star entered the CBB house alongside famous faces including EastEnders star Patsy Palmer, singer Chesney Hawkes and US singer JoJo Siwa.
But unlike her fellow housemates, the 67-year-old former talk show host is continuing a deeply personal battle behind the scenes.
The broadcaster was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008 and went into remission.
But in 2022, she revealed the devastating news that the disease had returned as stage 4 metastatic breast cancer — meaning it had spread to other parts of the body and is no longer curable.
Speaking candidly, she explained the condition is “not going away.”
Goddard entering the CBB house
ITV
Goddard revealed she’s been approached to appear on Celebrity Big Brother “every single year” but always declined — until now.
She says her decision to finally say yes was motivated by a desire to challenge perceptions of living with cancer.
“I want to show people how you can live successfully with cancer and not be so scared of dying that you become scared of living,” she said.
“So that’s why I’m doing it. I’m lucky, if you like, and pushy enough, and maybe as I’ve always been a mental health activist, I’ve always fought for patient-led treatments and actually I have brought that to my treatment as well. So I’m part of my team, as it were.”
Her stint on the show has been carefully coordinated around her treatment schedule to ensure it doesn’t interfere with her care.
She shared: “So 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.
“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.
The TV presenter revealed in 2022 that her cancer had returned as stage 4 metastatic breast cancer
ITV
“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.
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“I’ve got a bag full of meds that I normally have which will be with me in the house. So my oncologist has planned my treatment around the production schedule.”
And while she’s fully focused on enjoying the experience, she admitted she’s already joked with her husband that the other housemates might give her “pity” — something she’s determined to avoid.
Asked about the possibility of winning, she said: “I’m in the house to get my message across, whether I come out in week one or at the end. I don’t expect people to know who I am. I never do.”
Goddard was treated for breast cancer in March 2008 after a lump was found during a routine mammogram.
She revealed the cancer had come back in an interview with Hello! magazine last year.
“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 the publication.
