BBC Radio 2 DJ Mark Radcliffe has announced that he will be taking time off from his broadcasting career in order to be treated for “cancerous tongue and lymph node issues”.
The popular Folk Show host, 60, “made the announcement during his show on Wednesday night”, reports The Daily Telegraph.
He told listeners: “Now - here’s a thing - I’m sad to say that I’ve got some cancerous tongue and lymph node issues and so, as I’m sure you’ll understand, I’m going to be disappearing for a while to get that all sorted out.”
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Radcliffe, who also has a slot on BBC Radio 6 Music, went on: “It’s all been caught very early and so everything should be fine.
“All being well I’ll be back in action in the new year - or sooner if I feel well enough - but I will be back, you can depend on it.”
“I just can’t say exactly when that will be. So you won’t hear from me for a while now and therefore... well... Merry Christmas I guess. Life, eh?”
Scottish singer-songwriter and broadcaster Ricky Ross “will stand in for Mark on The Folk Show for the next few weeks”, says HuffPost.
A BBC spokesperson said: “Everyone at Radio 2 and 6 Music wishes Mark well and we look forward to welcoming him back when he’s ready.”
Other BBC presenters tweeted messages of support to Radcliffe following his announcement.
Radcliffe “has worked for the BBC in various roles since the 1980s - including a brief spell hosting The Radio 1 Breakfast Show in the 1990s”, says Sky News.
He was part of a presenting duo known as Mark and Lard, alongside The Fall guitarist Marc Riley. “Low ratings meant they were replaced in the coveted breakfast slot by Kevin Greening and Zoe Ball after less than eight months,” adds the news site.
