Breast Cancer Survivor Victoria Derbyshire Reflects on Decade-Long Journey

As of August 4th, 2025, it has been 10 years since BBC presenter Victoria Derbyshire received a shocking breast cancer diagnosis in 2015. In a recent interview, the 56-year-old Newsnight host revealed that she 'thought she was going to die' upon learning the news just days after noticing her right nipple looked 'odd'.

Derbyshire underwent a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery soon after her diagnosis. She then endured 301 days of intensive treatment, including six sessions of chemotherapy and 30 sessions of radiotherapy. Remarkably, the mother-of-two was eventually given the all-clear, though with an 11% chance of the cancer recurring.

Reflecting on her harrowing experience, Derbyshire shared that in the uncertain days and weeks following her diagnosis, she took her family on a holiday to Barcelona, fearing it could be their last together. "When I didn't know if my cancer was going to be treatable, we went on holiday to Barcelona," she recalled. "I took a million pictures and insisted I had to be in them all."

Derbyshire's cancer battle also inspired her to finally marry her partner of 17 years, Mark, in 2018. The couple had been together for nearly two decades but had never officially tied the knot until Derbyshire's health scare. "It was my illness that spurred me to marry Mark," she said.

Now cancer-free, Derbyshire has not significantly changed her lifestyle, continuing to drink and eat as she did before her diagnosis. "I want to be normal like I used to be," she explained. As the anniversary of her diagnosis approaches, Derbyshire plans to celebrate with a 'big blowout' with her family, who she credits for their unwavering support during her darkest days.