BBC presenter Maryam Moshiri reveals diagnosis of incurable blood cancer polycythaemia vera

Diagnosis and condition

BBC News presenter Maryam Moshiri revealed that she is living with polycythaemia vera, a rare and incurable form of blood cancer. Doctors identified the condition in November 2024 after her general practitioner insisted on carrying out routine blood tests. The 49-year-old broadcaster and mother of three, who has worked at the BBC since 2003, had experienced few initial symptoms before the test results returned. Polycythaemia vera causes bone marrow stem cells to produce excessive quantities of red blood cells, which thickens the bloodstream and can elevate platelet levels. Left unmanaged, the condition increases the danger of serious cardiovascular complications, including deep vein thrombosis, heart attacks, and strokes.

It was a cruel blow to realise that while I could have treatment, this was a cancer that was incurable.

Medical treatment and physical toll

Managing the disease required intensive medical interventions to regulate blood thickness and reduce clotting risks. Moshiri initially underwent therapeutic venesections, a procedure where medical staff draw blood directly from a vein in the arm. Over a five-month span, she had seven to eight venesections, with medical staff extracting between 400 and 500 millilitres of blood during each visit. The frequent blood removals depleted her iron levels, triggering extreme physical exhaustion, hair loss, and severe skin itching that caused bleeding from scratching. Her medical team subsequently adjusted the treatment regimen to include daily aspirin and weekly injections of the immunotherapy drug Pegasys to suppress blood cell proliferation.

In about a space of five months, I had venesection seven or eight times. So you can imagine my iron levels hit the floor and I felt even more exhausted.

Continuing international broadcasting

Despite coping with severe fatigue, Moshiri maintained her full-time schedule as a BBC news anchor throughout the two years following her diagnosis. Her assignments included field reporting in Rome to cover the papal conclave following the death of the Pope, where she worked live broadcasts lasting up to 14 hours a day. She also traveled to Qatar to anchor coverage during international conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, and reported from Greenland during an official visit by Vice President JD Vance. Moshiri credited on-air adrenaline with carrying her through high-pressure assignments, though recovery required hours of complete rest at home.

I love what I do. I love being where the story is. I don't want to allow blood cancer to stop me from doing my work.

Raising awareness for blood cancer

Moshiri spoke publicly about her illness in September 2026 through interviews with colleague Lucy Hockings on BBC News and with The Times. She chose to share her experience to support the charity Blood Cancer UK and address common misunderstandings surrounding chronic blood conditions. Moshiri explained that many people assume cancer treatment always follows a short chemotherapy cycle leading to a full cure, rather than lifelong medical management. Her current regimen allows her to keep the condition under control, though long-term vigilance against potential cardiovascular complications remains necessary.