ITV presenter reveals his wife, 30, has been diagnosed with rare and incurable cancer just months after she gave birth to their first child

An ITV presenter has revealed his wife has been diagnosed with a rare and incurable brain tumour just months after she gave birth to their first child. 

Dan Salisbury-Jones, who hosts the ITV News Central sports bulletins, said the devastating news felt like a 'death sentence'. 

The popular presenter explained how he and Liz, 30, had enjoyed a happy and successful 2022 - celebrating the birth of Reuben and buying a family home. 

'Life was very good back in 2022. Liz had given birth to our first baby, I'd got this exciting new job in the Midlands and we had found a house that was to become our family home,' he said. 

Mr Salisbury-Jones said he 'had an odd sense that all was going too well' when Liz suffered a 'petrifying' seizure as they were packing after a trip to visit family in Teesside in December. 

Medics confirmed that Liz had a low-grade Oligodendroglioma – a rare, incurable, slow-growing tumour. Around 66 to 78 per cent of people with this tumour survive for five years or more after diagnosis, according to The Brain Tumour Charity. 

Recalling the ordeal, the broadcaster said: 'My wife was just looking through me like there was nothing there. 

'I really wish I knew that was normal because at the time I thought the worst. Eventually, she started recognising people and rediscovering her memory as we made our way to the hospital.

'She had a CT scan, which revealed a mass on the brain. We were told it was either an infection or a tumour.

'We convinced ourselves it was an infection and that antibiotics would resolve the issue. She was admitted and put on a drip for several days spending Christmas on a general/diabetic ward at a hospital with no neurological department.'

Liz's tumour is slow growing so she should be able to watch their son Reuben grow up, but the risk of seizures mean she isn't able to look after him on her own. She is now receiving chemotherapy, which has reduced its size. 

Mr Salisbury-Jones explained in a release through The Brain Tumour Charity: 'Liz's treatment, along with anti-epilepsy drugs, started in May and meant she lost some of her hair – although Liz's skills with a scarf mean that few people know this!

'Thankfully, it was successful and caused significant shrinkage in the tumour. Then it was time for PCV Chemotherapy.

'We are now midway through the second cycle and Liz is handling it like a trooper. There are some strict dietary requirements, which are quite confusing to start with but not that bad once you get your head around it.'

Mr Salisbury-Jones lost his mother to breast cancer aged nine. 

He said this had made him determined to break the 'taboo' around cancer, insisting that we 'need to move past that.'

The sports correspondent praised The Brain Tumour Charity and The Christie Hospital in Manchester for their support. 

He said: 'Liz was 30 at the time and because of her age and relatively good prognosis, her oncologist also requested she get state-of-the-art proton beam therapy at The Christie in Manchester.

'This was six weeks of daily treatment Monday to Friday. The Christie offered free accommodation in the city centre, but we were able to stay with family. 

'The kindness we've found on this journey has been incredible. Meanwhile, I expected to find sport more trivial but actually the opposite has happened. It reminded me of how important it is for so many people and what an escape it is.'