Michael Aspel battling cancer

TV presenter Michael Aspel has admitted that he has a form of cancer.

Talking to the News of the World today, the 71-year-old - host of long-running BBC series The Antiques Roadshow and This Is Your Life - said that he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, which attacks the body's lymphatic system, during a routine medical checkup.

"Thankfully it's low-grade cancer," said Aspel. "And the strange thing about it is you don't feel unwell. In fact without that check-up I may not have found out about it at all because there are no symptoms. To be frank the chemotherapy was more unpleasant than the condition itself. It was a course of tablets which lasted about three months.

"Although the condition hasn't gone, my doctor tells me my life isn't threatened by it. It just ticks away and needs monitoring. I have regular check-ups and I'm in a very positive frame of mind about the situation. After the intitial shock of finding out, I was given leaflets and I've read up on the condition and I feel OK. It hasn't gone but it hasn't developed."

The news comes days after the death of comedy legend Bob Monkhouse from prostate cancer.