Barnaby Joyce's confession on Sunrise leaves Nat Barr visibly stunned
- Barnaby Joyce to undergo surgery today
- READ MORE: Barnaby Joyce diagnosed with cancer
Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce will undergo surgery on Monday, just one day after revealing his prostate cancer diagnosis.
The surgery comes after his convincing re-election to the NSW seat of New England on Saturday night, where he secured more than 67 per cent of the two-party preferred vote.
Speaking to Sunrise host Nat Barr on Monday morning alongside Labor Minister Tanya Plibersek, Mr Joyce said he would be heading into surgery shortly after the interview.
'Literally straight after this I'm going straight down the road and straight into surgery,' he said.
Barr appeared visibly shocked by the father of six's admission that he was appearing on the show before surgery.
Mr Joyce, 58, had taken a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test after receiving advice from his doctor.
The test returned an elevated result, and he underwent an MRI scan and biopsy which confirmed the diagnosis of prostate cancer
Barnaby Joyce (right) opened up about his operation happening today on Sunrise with Natalie Barr (centre) and Labor front bencher Tanya Plibersek (left)
Joyce revealed his diagnosis just hours after being reelected as the Member for New England
'If you're a guy - and that's about half your audience, I imagine - or you know a guy, and that's the other half of your audience, once you get into your 40s, 50s, get a PSA test and clear your own mind that everything's fine.
'If you get it early, you're going to overwhelmingly be OK.
'But if you're too busy to get checked, then you're putting your family in real strife, because it's not going to be good. It's not going to be good for you or your family.
'Look at this beautiful world - you want to live as long as you possibly can in it. If you're blessed to have that opportunity.'
Ms Plibersek praised Mr Joyce for openly sharing his diagnosis with the public.
'It's very brave of Barnaby to share his experience,' she said.
'I really do think that having high-profile people like Barnaby talk about their health challenges is really important to encourage other men to get the test.'
Mr Joyce (right) with his wife Vikki Campion (left) and their sons Sebastian and Thomas
Mr Joyce previously revealed he had no symptoms before getting tested.
He will continue to serve in his role as the MP despite the diagnosis.
'If I thought it was very serious of course I'd resign, but my doctors or surgeons say "you're very lucky you've got it early".'
Mr Joyce said he kept the diagnosis private to not distract from the election campaign.
'I knew it would turn into a bit of a circus,' he said.
'I wanted the campaign to focus on the campaign and I didn't think this issue needed to be a part of that.'
He has four daughters from his marriage to Natalie Joyce, who are all aged in their early 20s. Their marriage ended in 2017 after 25 years together.
He has two sons with his second wife, Vikki Campion; Sebastian, born in 2018, and Thomas, born in 2019.
Labor had a landslide victory at the election, reducing the Coalition to one of their worst performances at the polls and the loss of leader Peter Dutton in the process.
However the National Party's result stood up, maintaining at least its ten seats from the previous parliament.
What you need to know about prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia, and it is estimated that one in six males will be diagnosed by the time they are 85.
Early (localised) prostate cancer refers to cancer cells that have grown but do not appear to have spread beyond the prostate.
There are two stages of advanced prostate cancer:
- locally advanced prostate cancer where the cancer has spread outside the prostate to nearby parts of the body or glands close to the prostate
- metastatic prostate cancer where the cancer has spread to distant parts of the body.
Symptoms of prostate cancer
Early prostate cancer usually does not cause symptoms.
Advanced prostate cancer symptoms can include: frequent urination, pain while urinating, blood in the urine or semen, a weak stream, pain in the back or pelvis, weak legs or feet.
More widespread disease often spreads to the bones and causes pain or unexplained weight loss and fatigue.
Causes of prostate cancer
Age, increasing rapidly after 50 years of age.
Family history of prostate, breast or ovarian cancer, especially BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations.
A father or brother diagnosed with prostate cancer before the age of 60.
Testing for prostate cancer
There is no single, simple test to detect prostate cancer. Two commonly used tests are the PSA blood test and the digital rectal examination.
Source: Cancer Council of Australia. Read more: https://www.cancer.org.au/cancer-information/types-of-cancer/prostate-cancer
