How Trisha Goddard’s medical team are managing her palliative care while in the CBB house – after learning she had incurable cancer one month after marrying love of her life

Trisha Goddard will be receiving palliative care while in the Celebrity Big Brother house as she continues her battle with terminal breast cancer.   

Upon entering the famous abode, the TV star, 67, revealed she agreed to go on the series with terminal cancer to prove to patients they should ‘not be scared of living’.

The ITV star, who hosted the daytime chat show Trisha from 1998 to 2004, announced in February last year that the cancer she was diagnosed with in 2008 had returned after previously being given the all-clear.

As well as having her own room during her stay in the hose, the broadcaster has with her ‘a bag full of meds’ amid her ongoing cancer treatment. 

Speaking ahead of her big moment, Trisha told The Mirror that she’s ‘jumping on a plane as soon as the show is over’ to have an infusion.

She explained: ‘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.

Trisha Goddard will be receiving palliative care while in the Celebrity Big Brother house as she continues her battle with terminal breast cancer [pictured with hosts AJ Odudu and Will Best]

The ITV star announced in February last year that the cancer she was diagnosed with in 2008 had returned after previously being given the all-clear

Trisha received the heartbreaking terminal diagnosis 20 months ago, which tragically came just a month before she tied the knot with Allen [pictured on their wedding day] 

‘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. 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.

‘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.’

The former chat show host received the heartbreaking terminal diagnosis 20 months ago, which tragically came just a month before she tied the knot with Allen.

The couple said ‘I do’ in an intimate wedding ceremony at a local restaurant in Connecticut in August 2022.

Elsewhere, on her reasons for doing the show, Trisha told hosts AJ Odudu and Will Best: ‘Well, I’ve been asked to do it every single year, and I’ve always thought, ‘Are you kidding me?’.

‘Being on Big Brother would show people how you can live successfully with cancer and not be so scared of dying that you become scared of living. So that’s why I’m doing it.’

Brave Trisha also admitted she doesn’t want her housemates too ‘pity’ her about her diagnosis.

The mother of two daughters Billie and Madison, who relocated to the US in 2010, devastatingly revealed in February last year that the cancer ‘is not going away’ and keeping the secret was ‘becoming a burden’.

As well as having her own room during her stay in the hose, the broadcaster has with her ‘a bag full of meds’ amid her ongoing cancer treatment (pictured in 2024) 

‘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’

‘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’ 

But, while she was ‘nervous’ about revealing the cancer’s re-emergence, ‘It needed to be done’.

The mother-of-two has secondary breast cancer – meaning the disease started in the breast and spread to another part of the body – for which there is treatment but no cure.

Amid her fight against the disease, one person who has been by her side throughout it all is her husband Allen, who alongside her daughter Billie Dee was on hand to support her as she entered the house.

Allen gazed lovingly up at the journalist during her big moment, with Trisha in turn blowing a kiss at her love as he and Billie cheered her on.

While little is known about Allen – whom Trisha is protective of and only reveled his identity in February 2024 – on their second anniversary last August, Trisha credited her husband for supporting her through difficult times, noting he makes her feel ‘calm’ amid ‘such turmoil’.

Alongside a montage video from their big day, she wrote: ‘The love in my heart for this man. We have laughed together. Cried together…

‘He has taught me the true meaning of intimacy and taught me it’s ok to be vulnerable.

‘It’s the first time in my life I’ve felt safe – which is bloody amazing when you look at what we’re dealing with…

‘Darling, I’ve battled rough seas before, but never felt so calm in the midst of such turmoil with you being with me at the helm. Happy Anniversary, my love.’

It comes as Trisha revealed she agreed to go on the series with terminal cancer to prove to patients they should ‘not be scared of living’

Entering the Celebrity Big Brother house on Monday, the TV presenter said she wanted to show people ‘how to live’ after her diagnosis with incurable stage four breast cancer

One person who has been by her side throughout it all is her husband Allen, who alongside her daughter Billie Dee was on hand to support her as she entered the house 

Allen gazed lovingly up at the journalist during her big moment, with Trisha in turn blowing a kiss at her love as he and Billie cheered her on 

In the same post, Trisha revealed that only a handful of her guests knew that her cancer had returned, with the stunner admitting that she had to learn to walk again before her big day.

A day after she and Allen were married, Trisha – who previously fought the disease in 2008 – began radiation therapy for her cancer, instead of going on honeymoon.

After undergoing hip surgery, Trisha underwent daily radiation for three weeks and weekly chemotherapy for four and a half months as well as intense physiotherapy.

The star continued to work on her TalkTV show throughout her treatment, and is having hormone therapy infusions every three weeks, along with regular scans and blood tests.

The couple were wed by a Rabbi in front of 70 guests at their local restaurant.

Prior to revealing Allen’s identity last year, little was known about Trisha apart from the fact ‘he’s four years older’ and that they met through a US friend. 

Allen is also a widower whose first wife died of cancer.  

The couple have known each other since 2018 and got engaged in January 2022, after living in Connecticut together since March 2021. 

While little is known about Allen, on their 2nd anniversary last August, Trisha credited him for supporting her through difficult times, noting he makes her feel ‘calm’ amid ‘such turmoil’

In a sweet tribute, she said: ‘Darling, I’ve battled rough seas before, but never felt so calm in the midst of such turmoil with you being with me at the helm’

The couple have known each other since 2018 and got engaged in January 2022, after living in Connecticut together since March 2021 

Trisha has been married three times before. 

Her first husband, an Australian politician called Robert Nestdale, was secretly gay and died of AIDS in 1989. 

During an appearance on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories in 2021, the TV presenter said Robert risked her life to hide his sexuality, having sex with her when he was knowingly HIV positive.  

Trisha, who married Robert within eight months of meeting, said he ‘put my life on the line to hide his sexuality’ but admits she ‘feels sorry for him’ because he ‘must have been going through hell.’ 

Trisha said: ‘We were married in Sydney, with the who’s who of politicians there. And it was great, until the day after the wedding. Then he went back to Canberra.’

Piers asked her if that was the moment alarm bells began to ring for her. 

Her first husband, an Australian politician called Robert Nestdale (pictured), was secretly gay and died of AIDS in 1989 

During an appearance on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories in 2021, the TV presenter said Robert risked her life to hide his sexuality, having sex with her when he was knowingly HIV positive 

Robert passed away just weeks after Trisha gave birth to daughter Billie with second husband Mark Grieve – with the star only learning Robert had died of AIDS at his funeral [Trisha pictured with Mark and Billie]

The star shares daughters Billie (left) and Madison (right) with ex Mark (pictured in 2006)

Trisha then went on to tie the knot with psychotherapist Peter Gianfrancesco (pictured together in 2012) in 1998, however, this married also didn’t last, with the duo divorcing in 2017 

Robert passed away just weeks after Trisha gave birth to daughter Billie with second husband Mark Grieve – with the star only learning Robert had died of AIDS at his funeral.

She and Mark married in 1993 and the pair welcomed their second daughter Madison in 1996, with the couple splitting shortly after.

Trisha then went on to tie the knot with psychotherapist Peter Gianfrancesco in 1998, however, this married also didn’t last, with the duo divorcing in 2017. 

She replied: ‘It was the first DING. Yeah. Yeah. He always used to say things to me like, I’m very tactile. So if anybody ever tells you I’m homosexual, it’s just because I’m tactile.’ 

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world and affects more than two MILLION women a year

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Each year in the UK there are more than 55,000 new cases, and the disease claims the lives of 11,500 women. In the US, it strikes 266,000 each year and kills 40,000. But what causes it and how can it be treated?

What is breast cancer?

It comes from a cancerous cell which develops in the lining of a duct or lobule in one of the breasts.

When the breast cancer has spread into surrounding tissue it is called ‘invasive’. Some people are diagnosed with ‘carcinoma in situ’, where no cancer cells have grown beyond the duct or lobule.

Most cases develop in those over the age of 50 but younger women are sometimes affected. Breast cancer can develop in men, though this is rare.

Staging indicates how big the cancer is and whether it has spread. Stage 1 is the earliest stage and stage 4 means the cancer has spread to another part of the body.

The cancerous cells are graded from low, which means a slow growth, to high, which is fast-growing. High-grade cancers are more likely to come back after they have first been treated.

What causes breast cancer?

A cancerous tumour starts from one abnormal cell. The exact reason why a cell becomes cancerous is unclear. It is thought that something damages or alters certain genes in the cell. This makes the cell abnormal and multiply ‘out of control’.

Although breast cancer can develop for no apparent reason, there are some risk factors that can increase the chance, such as genetics.

What are the symptoms of breast cancer?

The usual first symptom is a painless lump in the breast, although most are not cancerous and are fluid filled cysts, which are benign. 

The first place that breast cancer usually spreads to is the lymph nodes in the armpit. If this occurs you will develop a swelling or lump in an armpit.

How is breast cancer diagnosed?

• Initial assessment: A doctor examines the breasts and armpits. They may do tests such as a mammography, a special x-ray of the breast tissue which can indicate the possibility of tumours.
• Biopsy: A biopsy is when a small sample of tissue is removed from a part of the body. The sample is then examined under a microscope to look for abnormal cells. The sample can confirm or rule out cancer.

If you are confirmed to have breast cancer, further tests may be needed to assess if it has spread. For example, blood tests, an ultrasound scan of the liver or a chest X-ray.

How is breast cancer treated?

Treatment options which may be considered include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone treatment. Often a combination of two or more of these treatments are used.

• Surgery: Breast-conserving surgery or the removal of the affected breast depending on the size of the tumour.
• Radiotherapy: A treatment which uses high energy beams of radiation focused on cancerous tissue. This kills cancer cells, or stops them from multiplying. It is mainly used in addition to surgery.
• Chemotherapy: A treatment of cancer by using anti-cancer drugs which kill cancer cells, or stop them from multiplying.
• Hormone treatments: Some types of breast cancer are affected by the ‘female’ hormone oestrogen, which can stimulate the cancer cells to divide and multiply. Treatments which reduce the level of these hormones, or prevent them from working, are commonly used in people with breast cancer.

How successful is treatment?

The outlook is best in those who are diagnosed when the cancer is still small, and has not spread. Surgical removal of a tumour in an early stage may then give a good chance of cure.

The routine mammography offered to women between the ages of 50 and 71 means more breast cancers are being diagnosed and treated at an early stage.

For more information visit breastcancernow.org or call its free helpline on 0808 800 6000