BBC News presenter Maryam Moshiri, 49, has revealed she was diagnosed nearly two years ago with polycythaemia vera (PV), a rare and incurable blood cancer. Moshiri, who joined the BBC in 2003, shared her diagnosis to raise awareness of the condition, which causes the body to produce too many red blood cells, increasing the risk of blood clots, stroke, and heart attack. Initially diagnosed through a routine blood test, Moshiri underwent multiple venesections – procedures to remove blood and reduce its thickness – leaving her exhausted and fatigued. She later began immunotherapy treatment with interferon, which has improved her condition, reducing the need for venesections to one in the last 15 months.
Moshiri described the treatment as ‘better than dying’ but acknowledged its toll, stating she wasn’t always able to fully engage with her children during the most debilitating periods. Symptoms of PV can include headaches, confusion, dizziness, and blurred vision, but often there are no symptoms, as was the case with Moshiri. While PV cannot be cured, it is manageable with treatment, allowing individuals to lead relatively healthy lives.
Left-leaning coverage emphasizes Moshiri’s desire to raise awareness and her journey to find effective treatment, while right-leaning coverage highlights her continued work on air despite the challenging treatment and her initial diagnosis stemming from a menopause-related blood test. Both perspectives report that the condition is manageable with treatment, though incurable. Blood Cancer UK funds research into the disease and notes that PV can, in some cases, develop into more serious forms of blood cancer, such as myelofibrosis or acute myeloid leukaemia. Moshiri reports feeling ‘much better’ than she did two years ago, though acknowledges she is ‘not the person I was’.
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