The TV legend entered the Celebrity Big Brother house during the show's launch episode this week, joining the likes of Angellica Bell and Patsy Palmer. She is 67 and battling stage four breast cancer, but wants to show her disease doesn't have to limit life.
Trisha was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008, which was treated and cured. The cancer returned in 2023 and in 2024, Trisha announced it had advanced to stage four and was metastatic - her condition can be treated, but not cured.
Having been asked to appear on reality TV show Celebrity Big Brother various times over the years, Trisha decided now is the right time, hoping it could inspire others with the disease to not live in fear.
"Being on Big Brother would show people how you can live successfully with cancer and not be so scared of dying that you become scared of living. So that's why I'm doing it," Trisha tells The Independent.
Trisha also wants to shine a light on what stage four cancer means, and why it's a term that can be misunderstood.
She says, "You talk to people and you say you have stage four metastatic cancer. But there's stage four and there's stage four.
"You can have a few cells and you're stage four. You can have cancer in your brain, your heart, you know, God forbid, and you're stage four.
"There are people with metastatic breast cancer being treated by my oncologist who have been around for twenty years," she adds.
The TV legend was initially hesitant to reveal her diagnosis - she didn't want pity and didn't want it to affect her career.
"I get the pity head nod, or they talk about me and my 'battle', how I'm 'fighting this,'" she explains about the difficulties in telling others about her cancer.
Trisha's oncologist is working closely with the Celebrity Big Brother production team to ensure she gets the care she needs - so she can show living with cancer and continuing with regular life is possible.
Trisha tells The Mirror about the high-quality care she will receive while taking part. "My oncologist is my biggest cheerleader and is working with the Big Brother team. I've got a special therapist who's happy to work with the medic on the show."
Celebrity Big Brother airs every night, apart from Saturday, at 9pm on ITV1. On Sunday it is shown an hour later at 10pm.
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