His father Paul died of bone cancer in 2008. His brother Oliver was diagnosed with osteosarcoma – the most common form of bone cancer – in 2010 at the age of just 16 and died two years later.
And on Friday, Jake Quickenden, 34, revealed his health scares began after he lost his father and brother to cancer and admitted it kept him from going to the doctors.
The former X Factor star appeared alongside Dr. Amir Khan caught up with Lorraine to talk about how he’s coping with mental illness – something he’s struggled with for the past 15 years.
Open: On Friday, Jake Quickenden, 34, revealed his health scares began after losing his father and brother to cancer and admitted it kept him from going to the doctors
According to the NHS: “Health anxiety is when you spend so much time worrying about being or getting sick that it starts taking over your life.”
Jake admitted to having health scares: “Which I’ve realized over the past year after talking more about it … When I go to the gym, guys are like, ‘Dude, I’m the same. I get a headache and I think there is something wrong with me.”
“It’s been over 15 years since I’ve had it [health anxiety]. The first time I worried was when I was young and I fell and scraped my hand and got an infection. I thought I would always get this.
“It is important to find out what the starting point was. For me it was the loss of them [his dad and brother to cancer]. Thinking how fragile life is ~ Thinking I’ll get it and die.
Heartbreaking: His father Paul died of bone cancer in 2008. His brother Oliver was then diagnosed with osteosarcoma and died in 2012
Real talk: The X Factor star appeared alongside Dr. Amir Khan on Lorraine to discuss how he’s coping with mental illness – something he’s struggled with for the past 15 years
Jake, who married his wife Sophie Church last summer, also explained how he’s been dealing with his health scare, telling Lorraine: “It’s tough but I feel a lot better now. I get it. And when you understand fear, you take away its power.
“I’m always doing things to take my mind off my health. When I’m alone, I worry.
‘I asked Soph [his wife] “How often do I mention my health?” and she said, “At least 15 times a day,” and I don’t even realize I’m doing it anymore.
“My health anxiety keeps me from going to the doctor because I’m worried about what they’re going to tell me,” Jake admitted, before urging viewers to get checked out if they’re worried about anything .
Fears: “My health anxiety keeps me from going to the doctor because I’m worried about what they’re going to tell me,” Jake admitted, before urging viewers to get checked out
Tragically, Jake’s father Paul, who separated from Jake’s mother Lisa before his diagnosis, died of bone cancer 15 years ago
To cope, the former X Factor star explained how he needs to remember he’s never been “seriously ill.”
Jake said: “I keep thinking now, how many times in 34 years have I been seriously ill and not. My body survived everything I had. Then train your mind to think that way.
Lorraine ended the segment by praising Jake for getting his testicles checked on Loose Women last year.
Jake said at the time, “I lost my father and my brother to cancer, so for me it’s a way of just putting it on the back burner, not checking it out.
“Sometimes I think if I looked and felt something I would be so worried, so for me it was out of sight, out of mind.
Brave: Last year Jake had his testicles checked at Loose Men to raise awareness about cancer
He added: “But as I’ve gotten older I have kids now, it makes me think that’s a silly thing, we need to talk more, we need to check more.”
“I had my first exam six months ago, I’m 34 and that was a big step for me, an MRI, everything checked and blood tests and I was quite proud.”
The Dancing On Ice winner shares son Leo with wife Sophie. She is also mother to son Freddie from a previous relationship.
Jake’s father Paul, who separated from Jake’s mother Lisa before his diagnosis, died of bone cancer 15 years ago.
Two years later, his youngest brother Oliver injured his knee playing football and tests revealed he had a different type of bone cancer called osteosarcoma.
Sadly, Oliver then passed away at the age of 19, just a few years after the tragic death of his father Paul.
WHAT IS HEALTH ANXIETY?
Health anxiety is when you spend so much time worrying about being or getting sick that it starts taking over your life. It is related to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
You may have health anxiety if you:
- Always worry about your health
- Check your body frequently for signs of illness, such as lumps, tingling, or pain
- people always ask for confirmation that you are not sick
- worried that a doctor or medical tests may have missed something
- Obsessively look at health information online or in the media
- Avoid anything related to serious illnesses such as B. Medical TV shows
- pretending to be sick (eg, avoiding physical activity)
Anxiety itself can cause symptoms like a headache or a racing heart, and you can mistake these for signs of illness.
Source: NHS