Louis Walsh, is best known for being a judge on the singer contest, The X Factor on ITV. this year, he is one of the celebrities chosen to participate in this year’s Celebrity Big Brother on ITV.
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He is joined by former Love Island winner Ekin-Su Culculoglu, Dragons’ Den star Levi Roots and many others. During last night’s episode, March 15, Louis Walsh revealed some very personal details about his health.
Indeed, Louis Walsh revealed to his housemates and the millions who were watching that he had previously been diagnosed with a rare type of blood cancer. Here’s everything we know.
Louis Walsh reveals secret diagnosis
Louis Walsh revealed to Ekin-Su, who ended her relationship with Davide and Levi Roots that ‘no one knew’ he was sick. As per Daily Mail, the former X-Factor judge was diagnosed with Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia, a rare type of blood cancer, in 2020 and had been receiving treatment in Dublin, Ireland.
The topic came up when Levi asked Louis how he had spent lockdown and Louis said he was ‘sick’.
I was sick, and I think nobody knew I was sick. I had cancer. A mild version, a rare one.
At first, Walsh didn’t specify what cancer until Levi questioned him and asked if it was pancreatic cancer. Louis then confirmed that it was blood cancer has he ‘didn’t even know’ until he was thoroughly checked at the hospital.
In my blood, I didn’t even know that I had it until I went to the hospital, and then they checked me, checked me, checked me, then they found it.
Like many people who receive a cancer diagnosis, Louis explained that he was ‘shocked’ when they told him and it gave him a ‘reality check’, as per Daily Mail. Despite the diagnosis, Louis revealed that thanks to treatment the cancer is ‘all gone’.
It’s all gone, I’m fine. It was just the shock of being sick and that word…nobody wants that word.
I have it blocked out, a reality check, you see so many people sick and it’s terrible.
What is Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia?
As per Daily Mail, Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia is also known as lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma. It is a rare form of ‘low-grade’ lymphoma, which is a type of bone marrow cancer. This type of cancer typically develops over long periods.
Some people don’t experience any symptoms and is sometimes only discovered during a blood test while looking into something else. According to The Sun, Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia causes some white blood cells to go through changes that transform them into cancer cells.
Symptoms of Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia can include unexplained weight loss, unexplained bruising or bleeding, lumps or swelling. Shortness of breath and consistent tiredness that doesn’t go away are also symptoms.
More symptoms also include a pale complexion, drenching night sweats, persistent, recurrent or severe infections, an unexplained fever, rashes and pain in the bone, joints or abdominal.
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Sources used:
The Standard: ‘Louis Walsh reveals ‘rare’ blood cancer diagnosis on Celebrity Big Brother’
Daily Mail: ‘Celebrity Big Brother's Louis Walsh reveals he was diagnosed with a 'rare' blood cancer in lockdown as he talks about major health scare for the first time’
The Sun: ‘Louis Walsh reveals secret cancer battle – as Celebrity Big Brother stars fight back tears’
