PLUCKY presenter Gary Burgess faces one of his toughest broadcasts today (May 6) when he tells the town he is fighting cancer.

The radio DJ will explain to listeners of The Wave that he will be taking three months off from his Drivetime show to undergo a course of chemotherapy at Christie Hospital in Manchester.

And he plans to reveal how a controversial television programme which showed men how to examine themselves for lumps could have saved his life.

Gary, from Little Bispham, was diagnosed with testicular cancer in March. He had heard about the controversy which surrounded the producers of This Morning to show a man examining himself on television and promptly checked himself.

"I found something and couldn't sleep that night," he told the Citizen. "I went to the doctor the next morning and when cancer was diagnosed I wanted to cry."

He has already undergone surgery to remove the tumour at Victoria Hospital, but a post-operative scan found the cancer had spread to his stomach, chest and lungs.

Doctors are confident of his recovery but Gary wanted to go public with his plight to convince other men that they are equally at risk.

"My friends have agreed I am doing the right thing," he said. "I am only 23 and if it can happen to me it can happen to anyone. I could have just gone off and said nothing but if this can save one life then it will have been worth it.

"Everyone talks openly about breast cancer but testicular cancer has always been a bit taboo. What I would say is that if you are a bloke then for God's sake check yourself. I did it once and it could have saved my life."

His mum Linda added that everyone's attitude towards testicular cancer needed to change because at the moment it's not something which mothers talk to about their sons.

"All we can do is hope he gets better but I am so glad he checked himself," she said.

Support has also come from Gary's friends at The Wave. Head of news Andy Mitchell commented: "His decision to go public was very brave and the whole station is behind him 100 per cent.

"We were absolutely gutted when we heard. Gary is such a backbone member of the team and has been with us from the start.

"For him to go public on such a personal issue in a campaigning way is really admirable."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.