Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Entertainment
Sean Morrison

Former Strictly Come Dancing star James Jordan reveals father's terminal cancer diagnosis

Former Strictly Come Dancing star James Jordan has revealed his father has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Jordan shared a moving post on Instagram, saying "my hero and best mate in the whole world" has been in and out of hospital for the previous four months.

Doctors initially diagnosed him with a stroke after he was suffering seizures, professional dancer Jordan said, but have now said he has an "aggressive" tumour.

He shared a video of his father playing with his five-month old daughter Ella.

View this post on Instagram

This video is the most precious & personal thing I have in my life right now & I’m going to share it with you but with a totally broken heart 💔 Over the last 4 months my hero and best mate in the whole world has been in and out of hospital with very ill health. We were told several times that 100% he had had a stroke and that’s why they were struggling to control his seizures... but after the 3rd time of being admitted to hospital I knew something was not quite right. So after pushing for more tests and the results being sent to Kings College Hospital for other surgeons to look at unfortunately the results came back that it wasn’t a stroke after all. It was what I had dreaded, my dad has a tumour and after having a biopsy it’s come back that it’s an aggressive cancerous one. The worst kind unfortunately. We have been told that it’s not advisable to operate because of where the tumour is and wouldn’t actually make that much difference even if they could. The end result is, it’s terminal 😢 They are saying with chemotherapy and radiotherapy we might be lucky and get a year with him. As I write this tears are streaming down my face as I’m sure many of you have the same love for your parents. This is honestly the worst time of my life. I’m posting this and writing to you now as I want to get a second opinion on my father, especially because they misdiagnosed him for the first 4 months which doesn’t fill us with confidence. So now myself and my family are actually hoping they are wrong this time. I’m looking to find the best surgeon to see my father as I want to know I’ve done everything possible before I can accept it. If anyone that reads this can advise me and my family on who is supposedly the best in this field i would be eternally grateful. My heart is broken 💔 Please DM me if you can help 🙏

A post shared by James Jordan (@jamesjordan1978) on

In the post, he wrote: "We have been told that it's not advisable to operate because of where the tumour is and wouldn't actually make that much difference even if they could.

"The end result is, it's terminal. They are saying with chemotherapy and radiotherapy we might be lucky and get a year with him.

"As I write this tears are streaming down my face as I'm sure many of you have the same love for your parents. This is honestly the worst time of my life."

Jordan, who is married to his fellow former Strictly professional Ola, said he was sharing the message to get a second opinion in the hopes doctors have got the grim diagnosis wrong.

The 42-year-old said: "I'm looking to find the best surgeon to see my father as I want to know I've done everything possible before I can accept it.

"If anyone that reads this can advise me and my family on who is supposedly the best in this field i would be eternally grateful.

"My heart is broken."

In April, Jordan revealed his father was diagnosed with coronavirus and told fans later that month he had been discharged from hospital and was doing "so much better."

Strictly judge Shirley Ballas was among the celebrities sending messages of support to Jordan.

She said: "I'm soooo sorry thinking of you all at this time."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.