Nick Owen says he and Anne Diamond are supporting each other through cancer diagnoses

Nick Owen has told how he and his former co-star Anne Diamond have been helping each other through cancer diagnoses within just months of each other.

The broadcasters are best known for their years as daytime TV co-hosts on BBC's Good Morning with Anne and Nick, which they presented from 1992 to 1996.

In December, Diamond was diagnosed with breast cancer and in April, Owen discovered that he had prostate cancer which he spoke to BBC Breakfast about on Tuesday morning.

Owen told Jon Kay and Rachel Burden that he and his former sofa mate had been supporting each other through the difficult time.

He said: "We’ve been sort of cajoling each other… We both had major surgeries, we’ve both been talking to each other, either texting or phoning, it’s a tough old time.

"Even though she’s sort of better and I’m sort of better, you’re not quite yourself for a while, it takes it out of you.

"It’s just so ironic that she and I, who are forever associated as a partnership professionally, we both got quintessentially male female cancers."

Owen added that things are currently looking "encouraging" for him and spoke about his gratitude to his GP who insisted he went for tests despite not showing any symptoms of cancer.

He said: "I feel quite fragile at the moment, but I am very positive and I’m so much brighter than I was two or three weeks ago, so I feel very lucky, and I’m just really keen to urge people to get checked.

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"I had no symptoms and people might think ‘I have no symptoms so why bother?’, but I think it’s important, especially if you’re over 50, getting in the system, especially if you have family history."

The BBC Midlands Today host added: "The key is to get it early. Mine was caught earlyish, but who knows, six months later it could have spread down the body."

Both stars have had surgery as part of their treatment, with GB News presenter Diamond undergoing a double mastectomy, while Owen has had a prostatectomy.

Diamond spoke about her cancer diagnosis and treatment in June with fellow GB News presenter Dan Wootton, telling him on air that she had received the news on the same day she found out she had an OBE.

She said it took her back to her Catholic upbringing, explaining: "You’re often taught that if something good happens to you, something bad happens, to slap you back."