1 week Ago By [email protected] (Samantha Masters)
Escape to the Country star Nicki Chapman has shared the alarming symptoms that led to her brain tumour diagnosis in 2019. The 58-year-old presenter initially mistook her symptoms of impaired vision, lost memory, and slurred speech for menopause, a migraine, and fatigue until she realised something was seriously wrong. Recounting the events on Gabby Logan's The Mid.
Point podcast, Nicki said: "Mine [diagnosis] was really really quick, even though the tumour had been there for a long time, it wasn't until I started to lose my sight, and I got lost walking down the street, and I couldn't talk, but I sort of kept thinking, oh, it's because I'm tired." The situation escalated when she forgot a voiceover recording session for the show, leading to a concerned call from her team. She continued: "I never miss a meeting, they rang me up and said, 'Where are you?' and I said, 'I'm at home'.
" "They're like, 'You're meant to be here'. I was like, 'Oh my goodness, how embarrassing!'". Nicki also shared that what should have been a short walk to the studio took her an hour, as she struggled to remember her destination.
Then, upon arrival, she couldn't recall who she was supposed to meet. Once directed to the room, the presenter said she found herself unable to speak for several minutes, which she initially thought was due to a migraine. "Each time I made excuses for my behaviour," she shared.
"When I woke up the next morning and I turned on my computer and couldn't read it, suddenly alarm bells just went off." "I was like, 'Shack (her husband) we've got a problem here'." Nicki then consulted her doctor, who sent her straight to A&E fearing she had had a stroke.
"And then it was like, you actually haven't had a stroke. You've got a brain tumour." The presenter was later informed that the tumour, a benign meningioma, was as big as a golf ball, and she underwent successful surgery to remove it two weeks later.
Nicki now has a scan every 18 months to check her health status. The NHS lists various symptoms of a brain tumour, which can differ based on the affected area of the brain. These symptoms include: Headaches Seizures (fits) Persistently feeling sick (nausea), being sick (vomiting) and drowsiness Mental or behavioural changes, such as memory problems or changes in personality Progressive weakness or paralysis on one side of the body Vision or speech problems The NHS website recommends visiting a GP if you experience these symptoms, especially if headaches are unusual or worsening.
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