'Even though her body was at its weakest, her voice was at its strongest': Rachael Bland's 'crushed' husband pays tribute to the BBC presenter as she finally loses two-year breast cancer battle aged 40

  • BBC Radio 5 Live presenter, 40, revealed she only had days to live on Monday
  • Rachael Bland wrote memoirs and stockpiled keepsakes for son Freddie, three
  • Broadcaster had been documenting fight with cancer in blog and podcast series
  • Mother-of-one was diagnosed with rare triple negative breast cancer in 2016

BBC presenter Rachael Bland's 'crushed' husband today paid tribute to her after she died aged 40 following an inspirational two-year public battle with cancer.

The mother from Cheshire, who had triple negative breast cancer, moved thousands of people who hailed her bravery and dignity as she fought terminal illness.

This morning, a post on Bland's Twitter account from her family said: 'Our beautiful, courageous Rachael died peacefully this morning surrounded by her close family.

BBC newsreader Rachael Bland, pictured with her three-year-old son Freddie, died aged 40 following an inspirational two-year public battle with cancer

BBC newsreader Rachael Bland, pictured with her three-year-old son Freddie, died aged 40 this morning following an inspirational two-year public battle with cancer

Bland made final plans so her husband Steve and son Freddie remember her when she dies

Bland, pictured with her husband Steve and son Freddie, built up a collection of handwritten notebooks and perfume so her three-year-old child 'would remember me in some way'

A post on Bland's official Twitter account, featuring a picture of her with Steve, said: 'Our beautiful, courageous Rachael died peacefully surrounded by her close family'

A post on Bland's official Twitter account, featuring a picture of her with Steve, said: 'Our beautiful, courageous Rachael died peacefully this morning surrounded by her close family'

BBC Radio 5 Live tweeted this morning: 'Our treasured colleague Rachael Bland has died'

BBC Radio 5 Live tweeted this morning: 'Our treasured colleague Rachael Bland has died'

'We are crushed but she would want me to thank everyone who took an interest in her story or sent messages of support. You'll never know how much they meant to her. Steve and Freddie xxx.' 

On Monday she told the world she only had days to live and announced the heartbreaking final arrangements made for her family as she bravely faced death.

Her family confirmed that she had died this morning shortly after 3am.

Bland's husband Steve told the BBC: 'Rachael's death has left a huge hole in our perfect little family that we'll never be able to fill.

Rachael's death has left a huge hole in our perfect little family that we'll never be able to fill 
Steve Bland, husband 

'She was an incredibly talented broadcaster as well as a wonderful and much-loved daughter, sister, aunt, niece, wife and, most importantly to her, a mother to her precious little Freddie. 

'We all take such huge comfort and pride from the amazing and tireless work she has done since her diagnosis to reduce the stigma around cancer and prove that it is possible to live life to the fullest even when facing huge challenges on a daily basis.

This is the last picture Rachael Bland posted on Twitter. It shows her (right) giggling with Radio 5 Live co-hosts and fellow cancer patients Lauren Mahon (centre) and Deborah James (left)

This is the last picture Rachael Bland posted on Twitter. It shows her (right) giggling with Radio 5 Live co-hosts and fellow cancer patients Lauren Mahon (centre) and Deborah James (left)

Bland left her wishes for the family in a series of WhatsApp messages sent to Steve's sister

Bland left her wishes for the family in a series of WhatsApp messages sent to Steve's sister

Bland wrote an emotional goodbye message to her social media followers on Monday

Bland wrote an emotional goodbye message to her social media followers on Monday

'At the end, even though her body was at its weakest, her voice was at its strongest and most powerful.

'Putting the Can in Cancer': Rachael Bland's battle with deadly disease

Rachael Bland is pictured in hospital about to undergo chemotherapy 

Rachael Bland is pictured in hospital about to undergo chemotherapy 

November 22 2016: Rachael Bland is diagnosed with primary triple-negative breast cancer that had spread to four lymph nodes under her right arm

December 28 2016: She begins four and a half months of chemotherapy

May 2017: She has a lumpectomy and auxillary node clearance 

July 2017: The mother-of-one undergoes a mastectomy 

August 2017: Bland has a re-excision of her lumpectomy and starts 15 sessions of radiotherapy

October 2017: CT and biopsy shows cancer had spread to the lymph nodes under her arm on the opposite side to the primary cancer   

May 2018: She is told the cancer is terminal and she has 'less than a year to live'

September 2018: Bland announces she has just days to live in a poignant social media post. She died today.

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'Rachael was and will always be an incredible inspiration to everyone she met. To us, she was perfect in every way and we will miss her more than words can say.

'We just ask that everyone respects our family's privacy as we try and come to terms with losing our beautiful girl.' 

Steve also posted a message on the official Instagram page of her blog, Big C Little Me, which said: 'Our brave, beautiful, wonderful, courageous Rachael died peacefully this morning surrounded by her close family.

'We are all heartbroken and the hole she leaves in our perfect little family will never be filled.

'To everyone who took an interest in her story over the last two years, downloaded the awe-inspiring You, Me and the Big C podcast or sent her messages of support, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. You'll never know how much those messages meant to her and us.

'We'll miss her so very much but we couldn't be prouder of what she achieved in her 40 years, and we are genuinely comforted by the impact we know she had on so many lives. Thank you. Steve and Freddie xxx'.

Bland poignantly revealed she had wrapped 18 years worth of birthday presents for three-year-old son Freddie so he had a gift from her until he was 21.

But it is not yet known if she was able to finish her memoirs -  simply called 'For Freddie' - which she had written just for him so he could remember her. 

The BBC 5 Live newsreader had also built up a collection of handwritten notebooks, perfume and other personal items so the little boy grows up knowing how his mummy wrote, smelled and sounded once she is gone. 

5 Live host Emma Barnett (left, with Bland) tweeted: 'Rachael Bland who kept smiling (and telling me which side to stand on in our photos) regardless of what life kept on throwing at her'

5 Live host Emma Barnett (left, with Bland) tweeted: 'Rachael Bland who kept smiling (and telling me which side to stand on in our photos) regardless of what life kept on throwing at her'

Bland discussed her fears about leaving behind her husband Steve and son Freddie (pictured together at Christmas last year) on her podcast about having cancer

Bland discussed her fears about leaving behind her husband Steve and son Freddie (pictured together at Christmas last year) on her podcast about having cancer

Bland was a newsreader for more than 15 years. She is pictured presenting on BBC News

Bland was a newsreader for more than 15 years. She is pictured presenting on BBC News

Her friend and colleague Tony Livesey said: '5 Live's lost one of its brightest spirits. I'm going into cliche territory now so she'll be pressing an alarm somewhere, but she was beautiful inside and out. She was such a lovely person. 

You, Me and The Big C now number one podcast after Rachael Bland's tragic news

You, Me and the Big C reached number one in the UK podcast charts after host Rachael Bland was told she had only days left to live.

The frank podcast features three friends discussing their struggles with the disease which has left the BBC 5 Live broadcaster and mother-of-one approaching the end.

Since the announcement by the 40-year-old presenter on Monday, her humorous podcast has become number one in the charts.

According to the BBC, which produces the podcast, of the top 20 health podcasts downloaded, 15 are episodes of You, Me and the Big C.

Alongside friends Deborah James and Lauren Mahon, Bland has documented her cancer from first discovery, to being told it was incurable in May of this year, to finally being warned there were just days left.

Coping alongside husband Steve and young son Freddie, Bland has fought the disease while trying to deny how long she has left. 

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'Rachael Bland - presenter, friend to most of us, inspiration to all. Radio 5 Live is broadcasting with a broken heart. We've lost one of our brightest talents.'

Later, he paid tribute to the on-air rapport they had on both his evening and drivetime shows on the station.

Speaking to 5 Live's Chris Warburton, Livesey said: 'Initially when we first met I thought she was a posh girl, we were chalk and cheese. But we just got on so well.

'What I'm getting from people today who remembered the evening show we did together was just how we were slightly bonkers together and we helped a lot of people through a lot of tough times. It's our job to do that now with Steve and Freddie.'

Livesey added: 'The closer to death she became, the determination she had to stick two fingers up to cancer was gloriously disproportionate to her state of health.'

Livesey revealed how Bland encouraged her colleagues not to be sad around her following her diagnosis.

He described her as an 'established pro' who helped him learn the ropes when he came to the station.

Livesey and Warburton reminisced over an old clip of Bland laughing on air as she read out the name of US politician Randy Baumgardner.

Livesey said: 'She would be on air and there would be breaking news and she was as consummate a BBC professional as you could find.

'She would have the nation gripped and she would inform the nation and the next minute she would be laughing.'

And Simon Thomas, whose wife Gemma died from leukaemia in November 2017, tweeted: 'So quick in the end and so so tragic. Another beautiful life cut cruelly short by the b*****d that is cancer. 

The 40-year-old mother had been documenting her battle with breast cancer for a blog and podcast series. She is pictured in hospital taking part in a medical trial before she died

The 40-year-old mother had been documenting her battle with breast cancer for a blog and podcast series. She is pictured in hospital taking part in a medical trial before she died

'Steve and Freddie, your wife and mum was a truly remarkable woman. Courageous. compassionate and so strong. My thoughts and prayers are with you both. God Bless.'

A number of fellow broadcasters shared their sadness at the news of Bland's death.

Jacqui Oatley wrote: 'Sleep tight, dear inspirational Rachael. You'll never be forgotten...'

And Sky's Hayley McQueen said: 'This is such tragic news about the brilliant journalist Rachael Bland passing away at just 40 years old. May this inspiring, courageous woman rest in peace. Thoughts with her husband, family, friends & in particular her young son.'

Radio 5 Live colleague Anna Foster added: 'Fly high Rachael, we'll never forget you and we'll make sure your incredible work lives on.'

And BBC Seoul correspondent Laura Bicker tweeted: 'Rachael Bland was a voice we all needed to hear. Bright, funny, feisty.

'She allowed us to have a frank conversation about cancer with those closest to us. Sending all my love to her family right now.'

BBC Radio broadcaster Eleanor Oldroyd tweeted: 'No one was more important to Rachael than her beloved Steve and Freddie. But BBC 5 Live is an extended family, and this feels like a family bereavement. RIP Rachael #YouMeBigC.'

Dame Kelly Holmes responded to the post on Bland's official Twitter account, writing: 'I am only liking this as I want to respect what you have written. It feels strange to be pressing like on something so sad. 

How Rachael Bland has been remembered

'Rachael's death has left a huge hole in our perfect little family that we'll never be able to fill'

Steve Bland, husband

 

'Rachael was a popular and inspiring journalist'

Tony Hall, BBC Director-General

 

'Rachael Bland - presenter, friend to most of us, inspiration to all'

Tony Livesey, friend and colleague

 

'So sad to hear Rachael Bland has died. She fought so bravely'

Matt Hancock, Health Secretary

 

'Sleep tight, dear inspirational Rachael. You'll never be forgotten'

Jacqui Oatley, broadcaster

 

Rachael has done more for awareness then anyone and for that people are truly grateful'

Dame Kelly Holmes, athlete

 

'So quick in the end and so so tragic. Another beautiful life cut cruelly short by the b*****d that is cancer'

Simon Thomas, presenter

 

'We are all so proud at what she achieved - a truly heroic broadcaster and lovely wife, daughter and mum'

Jonathan Wall, Radio 5 Live controller 

 

'May this inspiring, courageous woman rest in peace'

Hayley McQueen, Sky presenter

 

So moved by her strength and bravery, her honesty, as a mum, as a woman

Zoe Ball, presenter

 

'It's incredibly sad but I find Rachael Bland so inspiring'

Dan Walker, BBC Breakfast host 

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'Rachael has done more for awareness then anyone and for that people are truly grateful. My heart and love goes out to all of your family so sorry.'

BBC Breakfast host Sally Nugent tweeted: 'Was lucky enough to work with Rachael Bland many years ago when she was learning the telly ropes. She'd been told to cut her fabulous hair into a BBC bob. We decided she was going to elegantly refuse. Classy lady. (With the best hair in the office)?? #RachaelBland.'

BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Emma Barnett tweeted: 'Rachael Bland who kept smiling (and telling me which side to stand on in our photos) regardless of what life kept on throwing at her. The BBC 5 Live family - listeners and presenters - are going to miss and remember her.'

And Zoe Ball said: 'Rest in peace dear Rachael. So moved by her strength and bravery, her honesty, as a mum, as a woman. Makes you stop to think about how precious our moments here are. 

'She's helped and will continue to help so many folk fighting cancer and life threatening illnesses.' 

BBC Breakfast's Dan Walker said: 'It's incredibly sad but I find Rachael Bland so inspiring. 

'Diagnosed with cancer but she convinces BBC Radio 5 Live to make the #YouMeBigC podcast and, almost singlehandedly, changes the conversation and has a positive impact on the lives of thousands of people she'll never meet.' 

Originally from the Cardiff area, Bland had joined the BBC in 2001, and her career started at Radio Wiltshire, where she worked as a journalist and newsreader.

She later joined BBC Radio 5 Live where she became a feature on Richard Bacon's late-night show and ended up staying on. She also began presenting on BBC News.

In 2011 when the BBC relocated to Salford, Bland's was the first voice heard on Radio 5 Live's first broadcast from the new location and studios.

BBC Director-General Tony Hall said: 'Rachael was a popular and inspiring journalist. Everyone has been moved by her courage and dignity. 

'She will be hugely missed by her many listeners and by staff across the BBC. Our sympathies go out to her family and many friends at this difficult time.' 

Bland is pictured with her husband of nearly five years, Steve, during her battle with cancer

Bland is pictured with her husband of nearly five years, Steve, during her battle with cancer

Bland is pictured with husband Steve and their son Freddie in their garden in Cheshire

Bland is pictured with husband Steve and their son Freddie in their garden in Cheshire

BBC Radio 5 Live tweeted: 'Mother to Freddie. Wife to Steve. Our treasured colleague Rachael Bland has died. She inspired so many with her blogs, the chart-topping podcast #YouMeBigC and certainly put the can in cancer. We will miss her dearly.' 

How Rachael Bland bravely told the story of her fatal cancer

Rachael Bland told the story of her battle with cancer in a frank and humorous podcast, documenting her life from finding a lump to being told she only had days left.

You, Me And The Big C, featuring friends Deborah James and Lauren Mahon sharing their experiences of cancer, now occupies the top spot of the UK podcast charts.

Bland, centre, was a 5 Live presenter

Bland, centre, was a 5 Live presenter

Bland, 40-year-old BBC Radio 5 Live presenter and mother-of-one, battled breast cancer for two years.

Her positive BBC podcast came with the warning 'contains adult humour', and explored the disease with frank wit.

She documented each stage of the disease's progress, which was first diagnosed in November 2016, and declared incurable in May of this year.

In a tweet she said, the broadcaster wrote: 'I'm told I've only got days. It's very surreal.'

Her upbeat podcast examines death, pain, relationships and everyday life while suffering from cancer.

In an early episode Bland told the story of her discovering she had cancer, after breastfeeding her young boy Freddie who she had with husband Steve.

She said: 'I had pain first. I had this weird soreness. It was kind of inside my armpit. It went away. It was just around the time I was breastfeeding.

'But because of that I was having a little bit of a feel. When I found it, I was like: 'How did I miss this?'

'It was the size of a walnut.'

What followed were months of treatment for Bland, creator of the blog Big C Little Me, and the start of her gallows humour 'death jokes'.

Guests on the podcast, including actor Greg Wise talking about death, discussed different aspects of living with cancer.

In May she was told that her cancer had metastasised, spreading to her lymph nodes, skin, and liver.

During one podcast discussing her lungs being drained, Bland frankly said she feared the worst, saying: 'I'm all right. I'm surviving. Doctors were basically sending me home to die.

'I was sent home in an ambulance.'

In order to limit the progress of cancer in her liver, Bland gave up alcohol, but still saw humour in the situation as the pain and disease intensified.

'If at any time you want to just drown in a vat of wine, now is the time,' she said on the podcast, adding in a later episode: 'It's my least favourite organ, that liver.'

Discussing the prospect of death on the podcast, Bland said that her main wish was not to complete a 'bucket list', but for time in the garden with her husband and son.

The presenter said that even in these moments there was a fear that time was running out, and she would leave her loved ones behind.

She said: 'Sometimes there is a little voice that says: 'Are you enjoying the sun? I don't think you've got another winter in you.''

Her last podcast was on the subject of pain, with Bland admitting she had become 'quite the cocktail of drugs' in order to manage the ravages of cancer.

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Controller of Radio 5 Live, Jonathan Wall, said: 'Rachael was part of the fabric of 5 Live and today is a very sad day for all of us and so many of our listeners.

'She was a very talented broadcaster and a beautiful loyal colleague to so many. 

'More than that, she turned the final year of her life into the finest year of her life delivering the most important broadcasting I have ever heard about living with cancer, and ultimately facing death because of cancer. She has made a profound difference to so many lives.

'We are all so proud at what she achieved - a truly heroic broadcaster and lovely wife, daughter and mum.'

And Health Secretary Matt Hancock tweeted: 'So sad to hear Rachael Bland has died. She fought so bravely. 

'Her legacy is a testament to how much more we need to do to beat this dreadful disease.' 

Bland said in a blog published on Tuesday: 'The main thing is that, while he's so young, I want him to remember me in some way. I hope the book and these gifts and notes will leave an imprint of my love behind for the rest of his life. So he can be sure how very much I love him'.

In order to not upset her husband Steve, she also set up a WhatsApp group with his sister detailing her wishes for their little boy as he grows up including not cutting his hair too short and ensuring he helps choose his school.

Her brave tweet on Monday announcing she has 'only got days' sparked an outpouring of grief among friends and fans.

Bland's final plans were revealed in an online post written last week - just before she learned she had days to live - but published for the first time on Tuesday. 

She wrote in HuffPost: 'I have a Whatsapp group with Steve's sister where I send her things I want for Freddie and his future. The things that might overwhelm and upset Steve now but she will make sure happens. 

'Like not cutting his hair too short until he really insists, or my wish for him to go to the very best school and university possible, so long as that's what he wants.

'I'm also planning and wrapping birthday presents which he can open between the ages of four and twenty one.

'Personal effects like my notepads – so he can see what my writing was like. 

'Or the perfume he helped pick out for me earlier this year so he'll remember my smell. And his all-important box of newborn keepsakes.'

Bland was documenting her fight against the disease in a blog called Big C Little Me since she was diagnosed in November 2016. 

The Welsh journalist also hosted a podcast series called You Me & The Big C where she discussed the highs and lows of battling the illness. 

Her positive BBC podcast came with the warning 'contains adult humour', and explored the disease with frank wit, and now occupies the top spot of the UK podcast charts.

Writing in her blog previously, Bland told of how she was with her son and his friends at an ice cream farm when she was given the earth-shattering news her cancer was terminal. 

She said: 'My heart raced as I answered it, knowing a phone call did not bode well.

'Then came the words 'I am so sorry, it's bad news. The biopsies have come back showing the same cancer is back and is in the skin'. 

Describing the moment she broke the news to her family, Rachael said: 'I watched my little Freddie innocently playing away in a tyre in the barn and my heart broke for him.

The BBC news anchor of 15 years is pictured with her little boy Freddie, who she had said she was scared of leaving behind 

The BBC news anchor of 15 years is pictured with her little boy Freddie, who she had said she was scared of leaving behind 

Rachel Bland's weekly discussions with Lauren Mahon (centre) and Deborah James (right) of the highs and lows of her fight with cancer and the friends revealed their final conversations with her today which involved jokes about death and funeral instructions

Thousands of listeners tuned in to BBC Radio 5 Live to hear Bland's weekly discussions with Lauren Mahon (centre) and Deborah James (right) of the highs and lows of her fight

'I scooped him up and dashed home and then had to break [her husband] Steve's heart with the news that my cancer was now metastatic and therefore incurable.'

The news anchor had written that she felt she had become a 'lab rat' after starting a medical trial in a bid to buy her more time with her husband Steve and then two-year-old son Freddie.   

Facts and figures on breast cancer

Presenter Rachael Bland has died after being diagnosed with incurable cancer.

Here are some questions answered about the disease by Baroness Delyth Morgan, chief executive at the charity Breast Cancer Now:

  • What does having 'secondary' breast cancer mean?

'Secondary breast cancer - also known as 'metastatic' breast cancer - means that the disease has spread to another part of the body.

'While secondary breast cancer can sometimes be controlled for some time using different combinations of treatments, it cannot be cured - and almost all of the 11,500 women that die as a result of breast cancer each year in the UK will have seen their cancer spread.'

  • What is primary triple negative breast cancer?

'Triple negative is a form of breast cancer that lacks the three molecules that drive the other sub-types of the disease: the oestrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2).

'Triple negative breast cancers therefore cannot be treated with drugs used to target these receptors in other forms of the disease, with triple negative patients being limited primarily to surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

'Around 15% of all breast cancers are triple negative, with around 7,500 women in the UK being diagnosed each year.

'More common among younger women, and also among black women, triple negative breast cancers can be highly aggressive.

'They are more likely to spread to another part of the body where they become incurable, and unfortunately still have no targeted therapies.

'While cornerstone treatments, chemotherapy and radiotherapy can be extremely gruelling for patients, so we desperately need to find new, kinder options for those diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer.'

  • Why are some chances of survival worse among some breast cancers compared to others?

'There are many different forms of breast cancer, depending on their genetic make-up and the type of cancer cell.

'The outlook for someone's cancer can depend on a number of factors including the size of the tumour, how early the disease was diagnosed, how aggressive the tumour is and whether it has already spread, and whether it is a less treatable form with fewer options available to patients.'

And some facts and figures about the disease from Cancer Research UK:

  • Breast cancer was the most common female cancer diagnosed in 2015 across the UK, with around 54,800 new cases.
  • In 2015, the disease accounted for more than 15% of all new cancer cases in Britain.
  • Over the last decade, breast cancer incidence rates have increased by around 4% in the UK.
  • More than one in 10 breast cancer cases are diagnosed late in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
  • One in every eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime.
  • Across the UK there are an average of 11,400 breast cancer deaths every year - the equivalent of 31 cases a day.
  • But almost two-thirds of women diagnosed with breast cancer in England and Wales survive their disease for 20 years or more.
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Thousands of listeners tuned in to BBC Radio 5 Live to hear her weekly discussions with fellow patients Lauren Mahon and Deborah James on the highs and lows of living with cancer.

In an early episode of her podcast, Bland told the story of how she discovered she had cancer, after breastfeeding her young boy Freddie who she had with husband Steve.

She said: 'I had pain first. I had this weird soreness. It was kind of inside my armpit. It went away. It was just around the time I was breastfeeding.

'But because of that I was having a little bit of a feel. When I found it, I was like: 'How did I miss this?'

'It was the size of a walnut.'

What followed were months of treatment for Bland and the start of her gallows humour 'death jokes'.

Guests on the podcast, including actor Greg Wise talking about death, discussed different aspects of living with cancer.

In May she was told that her cancer had metastasised, spreading to her lymph nodes, skin, and liver.

During one podcast discussing her lungs being drained, Bland frankly said she feared the worst, saying: 'I'm all right. I'm surviving. Doctors were basically sending me home to die.

'I was sent home in an ambulance.'

In order to limit the progress of cancer in her liver, Bland gave up alcohol, but still saw humour in the situation as the pain and disease intensified. 

'If at any time you want to just drown in a vat of wine, now is the time,' she said on the podcast, adding in a later episode: 'It's my least favourite organ, that liver.' 

Discussing the prospect of death on the podcast, Bland said that her main wish was not to complete a 'bucket list', but for time in the garden with her husband and son.

She also wrote: 'Sometimes, when my mind goes for a little wander, before I know it, I've pictured my funeral. Mused on who will attend.

'Wondered what would be said about me. Just the ordinary ponderings on the journey home from work really…what shall we have for dinner tonight? Would I want people at my funeral to wear black? Flowers or no flowers? The usual.'

The presenter said that even in these moments there was a fear that time was running out, and she would leave her loved ones behind.

She said: 'Sometimes there is a little voice that says: 'Are you enjoying the sun? I don't think you've got another winter in you.''

Her last podcast was on the subject of pain, with Bland admitting she had become 'quite the cocktail of drugs' in order to manage the ravages of cancer.

In a heart-wrenching interview with the Telegraph last month she revealed that she decided not to find out how long she has left to live, instead 'guesstimating' that it was less than a year. 

The newsreader said that she was 'not scared of dying' but is worried about leaving Freddie and her husband Steve behind.

'I have to suppress a lot of the darkest thoughts about Freddie growing up without his mummy around,' she added. 

In May this year she said she wanted to fill every day she had left with joyful memories for her young son. 

She said: 'I like happy times and love and happiness and I want to hold on to those positives.

'Unless the doctors can stop this terrible disease, I have a limited time left and I want to fill it with lovely memories for Steve and Freddie.' 

The couple married in 2013 after meeting at the BBC in Manchester, where they both worked, before settling down to family life in Cheshire.

Their fifth wedding anniversary falls on September 14.   

BBC newsreader Rachael Bland on the terrible moment she found out she had incurable breast cancer

In an emotional blog post on May 20, BBC newsreader Rachael Bland spoke of the earth-shattering moment she was told her breast cancer was terminal. 

Mrs Bland, who lived in Cheshire with her husband Steve and their three-year-old son Freddie, wrote on her blog Big C Little Me about the phone call she received while out with her son, telling her the cancer had spread.

The 40-year-old revealed she was forced to 'scoop her son up' and go home from a family day out to a local farm to 'break her husband's heart' with the news her cancer was incurable. 

Rachael Bland told of the moment she had to 'break her husband Steve's heart' (couple pictured together) in a blog post for her series Big C Little Me

Rachael Bland told of the moment she had to 'break her husband Steve's heart' (couple pictured together) in a blog post for her series Big C Little Me

She wrote: 'I would love to be writing you a more positive post but unfortunately, the bad news keeps on racking up. My lymph node surgery in February went to plan but the results as ever weren't good. 

'Seven out of 19 nodes removed were positive for cancer – a sign the previous 4 months of chemo hadn't really cut the mustard.

'Still, my surgeon was happy he'd done as much as he could and a subsequent CT scan a couple of weeks later showed no new nasty surprises. 

'Still, no reason to be reaching for the life boats just yet. A few days later came the call. 

'Merry Chemo' Christmas' was the title of another blog post Mrs Bland posted in December last year

'Merry Chemo' Christmas' was the title of another blog post Mrs Bland posted in December last year

'I was at the ice cream farm with Freddie and some of his little pals. My heart raced as I answered it, knowing a phone call did not bode well. 

'Then came the words 'I am so sorry, it's bad news. The biopsies have come back showing the same cancer is back and is in the skin'. 

'I watched my little Freddie innocently playing away in a tyre in the barn and my heart broke for him. 

'I scooped him up and dashed home and then had to break Steve's heart with the news that my cancer was now and therefore incurable.'

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Extracts from Rachael Bland's blog 'Big C Little Me' 

December 12, 2016 'After three hours of tests and consultations and an anxious 20 minutes in the 'private waiting room' (you know it's not good when they take you to your own waiting room), the young doctor tasked with delivering the news had her very best 'sorry you have cancer' face on. She kept pausing, waiting for me to cry at the opportune moments. I just sat there thinking, 'I wish they'd wrap this up so I can get home, put the baby to bed and watch I'm a Celebrity'. Your mind can't quite take it in, so it doesn't.'

'I'd always found it a bit naff when people were described as 'battling' cancer. Now I am facing it I actually find it helpful to think of my tumour as a villain whom I need to fight against…you will not take me away from all those that I love, it is not my time….cancer I'm coming for you.'

'We had just starting thinking about another baby, a sibling for Freddie to complete our family.'

January 6, 2017 'Just like a trip to the dentist, it turns out the anticipation of chemo is worse (for me anyway) than the reality. I kept busy in the morning going to get my hair cut shorter ready for the cold cap (to try and preserve my hair) then rushed off to the hospital in time for my 1.30 appointment. I feel like I've escaped so far relatively unscathed. Rachael - 1 Chemo - nil.'

March 11, 2017 Get plenty of rest' people keep telling me during chemo. If you're one of the approximately 10,987 people to impart this gem of advice then you may have noticed the hollow laugh it was greeted with. As a mum of, what can only be described as an 18-month-old Duracell Bunny, my stock response is 'no chance'. Steve has been the best. I know he loves a lie in but he's got up every day with Freddie, so I can rest in in the mornings.'

'As exhausting as it can be having chemo and looking after a toddler, getting his daily dose of energy, joy and positivity is the best medicine. Every time he bestows a snotty kiss or gives me a tight hug around the neck to say goodnight and late at night when I creep back into his room to watch him sleep (the only time of day he is truly still) I feel stronger than ever. I will get through this for you Freddie.'

March 27, 2017 'The thing I want most in the world right now…it's not money, diamonds or gold. It's a blow dry…I dream of those days sitting in the hairdressers chair with her pulling a brush violently through my locks with the hairdryer on the 'heat of hell' setting.'

April 30, 2017 'It's OK to have days when you feel bad. I'm positive I will get through this but…it's OK not to be OK.'

June 23, 2017 'As far as the breast surgery went - it was basically a breast reduction…The area of cancer taken out was double the size that had showed up on the scan and one of the margins was 'close'…I do not want to know about statistics and prognosis. I cannot let myself sink into the well of 'what ifs'.'

July 20, 2017 'I was sent for an ultrasound to have biopsies taken. I love a game of 'guess the results from the medic's demeanour' (I like to be a few seconds ahead of the curve on these things)…my breast-care nurse hugged me on the way in and the surgeon had on her 'bad news head-tilt'. Bugger.'

'It will undoubtedly be most odd saying goodbye to my right boob tomorrow. But if that's what needs to go for me to be able to stick around and see my Fred off to university one day then I will gladly give it up to the cause.'

August 23, 2017 'Despite our budget busting trip to St Tropez earlier this month, I've managed to wangle another weekend in the sun out of Steve before I am cast into chemo lockdown and not allowed within 100 feet of an aeroplane! The finish line may be changing but our resolve to get there is not.

October 1, 2017 'I didn't for a moment think we wouldn't be able to get rid of it the first time. Yet here I am, 10 months into treatment and about to embark on a second lot of chemo in the space of a year.' 'I sometimes think, what if I don't outlive the dog?' 'Sometimes, when my mind goes for a little wander, before I know it, I've pictured my funeral. Mused on who will attend. Wondered what would be said about me.'

February 19, 2018 'I'd looked into IVF before eventually falling pregnant naturally with Freddie, I knew what it entailed and so pushed to be allowed a cycle before starting chemo. For me, keeping that dream alive of expanding our family and carrying on with life plans after cancer, was worth delaying the start of chemo by what turned out to be just a week.'

May 20, 2018 'I was at the ice cream farm with Freddie and some of his little pals. My heart raced as I answered [the phone].

'Then came the words 'I am so sorry, it's bad news. The biopsies have come back showing the same cancer is back and is in the skin'.

'I watched my little Freddie innocently playing away in a tyre in the barn and my heart broke for him.

'I scooped him up and dashed home and then had to break Steve's heart with the news that my cancer was now and therefore incurable.'

July 17, 2018 'As I passed the waiting room and saw Steve down the corridor I shook my head at him, he could see from my expression, things were not going to go well.'

September 3, 2018 (Tweet) 'In the words of the legendary Frank S - I'm afraid the time has come my friends. And suddenly. I'm told I've only got days. It's very surreal. Thank you so much for all the support I've received. Debs and lozz will continue with the #youmebigc podcast. Au revoir my friends.'

 

'Thank you for being you': Anonymous poets pay inspirational Tube tribute to BBC news presenter Rachael Bland in last days of her cancer fight

A poignant tribute poem to BBC news presenter Rachael Bland has been written on a London Underground noticeboard.

It was posted at North Greenwich station to the BBC Radio 5 Live newsreader, who died today aged 40 - two years after being diagnosed with incurable cancer.

It was written yesterday by All on the Board, two masked Tube workers who have become known for leaving long messages on whiteboards at the station.

A tribute to BBC newsreader Rachael Bland was posted yesterday at North Greenwich station

A tribute to BBC newsreader Rachael Bland was posted yesterday at North Greenwich station

They told how Bland had 'done so much for so many people, with style, humour and grace', saying: 'You have battled cancer so bravely and with dignity.'

They added: 'We are inspired by you and as your next adventure begins, please know you have changed the nation's conversation with your story and inspiration.

'In every cancer battle it's always love that wins. Everybody in the world needs to hear your voice and story, the podcast deserves to be number one in the charts.

'Your legacy will live on and inspire so many others, and you will live on in memories and so many hearts.' 

Bland shared the news on Monday that she had only days left to live, tweeting: 'In the words of the legendary Frank S - I'm afraid the time has come my friends.

'And suddenly. I'm told I've only got days. It's very surreal. Thank you so much for all the support I've received.' 

All on the Board, who are two workers whose identity has not been revealed, first wrote a message using Craig David lyrics when he was performing at The O2.

They have since posted a range of poems, and have even won a celebrity following, with Katy Perry sharing a selfie of herself next to one of the boards.

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