ABC's James Valentine announces cancer diagnosis, will be off-air
ABC Sydney radio presenter James Valentine has been diagnosed with oesophageal cancer and will be taking a few months off-air as he undergoes surgery.
The Afternoons host shared his diagnosis with listeners during his segment on Thursday.
“The prognosis is that it’ll be fixed, but it’s a pretty dramatic fix. I know many of you have had to deal with this yourself, or had to deal with it in your family. This is hard to listen to,” the 62-year-old said. “But I felt as though I wanted to spend some time and talk to you about it, and let you know what was occurring.”
ABC’s James Valentine has shared his cancer diagnosis with listeners. Credit: James Alcock
He also wrote a candid story about his experience for the ABC’s news website. In it, Valentine explains his diagnosis and treatment so far, both with an equal level of humour and candour.
“In early January, I started five weeks of chemotherapy and radiation,” he wrote. “In a few weeks, I will undergo surgery, which is the main treatment for my oesophageal cancer. The surgery will remove my entire oesophagus and then stretch my stomach up and attach it to my throat.
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“After that, I’m very likely to feel like absolute crap for quite some time. It is likely I will recover, although that may take some months.”
Both on-air and in writing, Valentine speaks candidly about his condition, readily sharing details about his chemotherapy and radiation. He even invited Dr Anthony Joshua, a medical oncologist at St Vincent’s Hospitals Sydney, on to his show to explain in detail how cancer treatment works. Following this interview was a segment on men’s health more generally, with the aim of encouraging more men to open up about it without shame.
Valentine took over for Josh Szeps as Afternoons host this year, after the latter left to concentrate on his subscriber-based podcast business. This was a natural fit given Valentine had presented during the timeslot for 22 years before moving to Breakfast in early 2022.
“People have missed his laconic sense of humour in the afternoon hours,” Steve Ahern, manager of ABC Radio Sydney, said of Valentine in November. “The audience for his style of afternoon radio is strong.”
Beyond radio, Valentine has been a familiar face on television, including as a movie reviewer on Showtime, and as a reporter on Sunrise, Good Morning Australia, It Takes Two and Midday. He was also the narrator on Come Dine With Me Australia between 2010 and 2013.
Before entering the media space, Valentine toured as a full-time saxophonist alongside Jo Camilleri, Kate Ceberano, Wendy Matthews and Melbourne rock band The Models.
James Valentine (left) in the Models in 1985 with James Freud, Roger Mason, Barton Price and Sean Kelly.Credit: Fairfax Media
During his show on Thursday, the radio host emphasised that he felt fine and was highly likely to recover. However, he did not shy away from the reality of the situation.
“Cancer is confronting and of course I’m equal parts hopeful and terrified. I hope I’ll be OK, but I also know that I won’t be the same,” he wrote. “Lord knows what I’ll be like a few months from now. I think I’ll be fine. That’s my ending. But right now, I’m still at the beginning.”
Thursday marks his last show for about three months as he takes time off to recover from surgery.
Valentine’s temporary replacement will be announced on-air tomorrow afternoon.
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