GB News Anne Diamond struggles with ‘stonkingly high blood pressure’ a year after breast cancer diagnosis

From regional TV to a staple for national TV, Anne Diamond has gone a long way in her career. The 69-year-old has become a household name and is loved and adored by millions of viewers at home. Anne has worked for both ITV and BBC before taking over the presenting duties of GB News’Breakfast show with Stephen Dixon.

The journalist is at par with the likes of Lee Anderson, and Jacob Rees-Mogg - the highest-paid Tory GB News presenters. However, she had been missing from our TV screens for the past few weeks as she took a break from her presenting duties. Turns out, the beloved TV presenter had been going through a major health struggle. Here’s what happened to her

GB News presenter Anne Diamond reveals her diagnosis

Justifying her break from hosting her regular shows, Anne revealed that she was rushed to hospital after facing a terrible health scare. Describing her struggle with high blood pressure, Anne revealed that the paramedics became ‘white’ seeing the numbers on her blood pressure chart.

Returning to her GB NewsBreakfast Show, Anne addressed her absence and shared:

Some of you have been asking why I’ve been off. The reason I've been off was a lot to do with stonkingly high blood pressure.

According to Express, the British journalist is yet to receive a full diagnosis of why it happened. She explained:

And while that wasn't the whole problem, and I am still yet to get a proper diagnosis as to what was going on, it was an enormous part of the problem.

I didn't realise that I had such incredibly high blood pressure. When the paramedics saw it they sort of went white and said, ‘Well, you're off to hospital.’ And that was that.

Anne then went on to emphasise how there’s a ‘notice’ to keep a check on our blood pressures everywhere we go - from pharmacy to doctor’s office - and yet not many people pay attention to it. Anne insisted:

It doesn't matter how young you think you are, you ought to take your blood pressure. It's an easy thing to do and all the rest of it, but it's clearly an enormous thing too.

I just think that maybe there is a lot more sort of campaigning to be done, I've done a sort of crash course in the last month.

But high blood pressure is a real problem, and probably low blood pressure is as well. But your blood pressure is massively important.

Sharing her wisdom, Anne said that ‘keeping an eye’ on blood pressure should start at a young age to avoid any big problems later in life. Since blood pressure affects everything in our bodies, Anne urged people to get more awareness about it. Here’s how you can also manage your blood pressure level through water intake.

Who is Anne Diamond?

Born on September 8, 1954, Anne Diamond is a journalist and TV presenter. She first worked as a reporter on BBCWest in Bristol. Anne then moved to ATV - ITV's Midlands regional channel and ended up hosting the original Good Morning Britain on TV-AM - the first breakfast-time broadcaster, reports BBC.

After ATV Midlands Limited was renamed as Central Independent Television in 1982, Anne was first paired with Nick Owen. However, the career-defining partnership was put on hold due to disputes over the launch of the channel. Anne rejoined BBC during this time as a reporter and afternoon newsreader, confirms The Sun.

In 1983, Anne and Nick's partnership kicked off after they were poached by TV-AM. It ran till 1990 and after a brief separation, the two united again to present Good Morning With Anne And Nick on the BBC until 1994. She has also hosted radio shows onLBC, Radio Oxford, BBC London and BBC Berkshire, reports Yahoo! News. Anne became a panellist on Loose Women and The Wright Stuff and even went on Celebrity Big Brother - which recently bagged some impressive celebs for its relaunch - in 2002.

The beloved presenter joined GB News in 2022 to host their weekend breakfast show with Stephen Dixon. According to GB News’ website, Anne loves her work as she finds it exciting to present the breakfast show and deliver breaking news. She also enjoys being more reflective and covering ‘some issues that are less serious or quirky.’

Anne Diamond’s struggle with breast cancer

Despite loving her GB News work, Anne had to stay off air for six months right after joining the show. This came as she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had been struggling with it for months before she could make the announcement. Ironically, the presenter was diagnosed with breast cancer on the same day she received an official email that she would be made an OBE in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to public health and charity due to her campaigning on cot death.

When Anne returned to work after her diagnosis, she announced the reason behind her absence. She is well-known for her love for cruises and during her absence from GB News there were claims that she had gone on a cruise world tour, but the journalist shocked everyone with her announcement. Anne explained she had undergone a double mastectomy in what she described as her ‘fight against breast cancer.’

In an interview with her GB News colleague Dan Wootton - who has launched his new independent platform after his exit from the channel - Anne remarked:

I haven't been on a world cruise, which is what I know social media has been saying... because I'm well-known now for loving cruises.

It's been a fight against breast cancer. That's what it's been. It's been a long journey. And five months later, I'm still not at the end of the journey, but I'm through it enough to come back to work.

Revealing how the diagnosis coincided with her OBE news, she recalled how it was a wonderful moment she couldn’t fully enjoy because she was already at the hospital for a mammogram and some other tests. Her diagnosis was revealed to her by lunchtime on the same day. Anne went on to share that radiotherapy was ‘very hard’ for her and the first one was nine hours long. She added:

So it's been a journey, but I'm not pretending for a minute that I am extraordinary, because I am fully aware that a quarter of women in this country are going through what I've just gone through and I don't have any advice to give. I only have empathy.

Read More

⋙ Dan Wootton: Where did he go after his GB News exit and what his comeback entails

⋙ Alastair Stewart: Everything we know about the GB News presenter’s career after dementia diagnosis

⋙ 'Long may it continue': GB news backed by politicians as 5 more employees accused of sexual misconduct

Sources Used

The Express: Anne Diamond issues horror health update after cancer news sparked GB News absence

BBC: Anne Diamond: TV presenter reveals breast cancer diagnosis

The Sun: Who is Anne Diamond and why is she not on GB News today?

Yahoo! News: Who is Anne Diamond? Broadcaster reveals breast cancer diagnosis

GB News website