Trevor Nelson has made his much-anticipated return to BBC Radio 2 after undergoing what he described as “very serious surgery” for a brain tumour.
The 62-year-old broadcaster was back behind the microphone on Monday afternoon, resuming his two-hour show and opening up to listeners about what he called an “emotional and difficult summer.”
Nelson first revealed in June that he would be extending his break from Radio 2 to concentrate on his health, though he chose not to disclose the reason at the time.
He later explained his absence last month, telling fans he had been diagnosed with a brain tumour and had undergone major surgery as part of his treatment.
Speaking as he returned to the airwaves, Nelson said: “I’m so happy to be here. Back with my colleagues. It is like a family. It feels like I’ve been away and come back.”
He added: “I said it feels like I’ve been hijacked this summer, someone has paid the ransom at last. Freed me.”
Reflecting on the support that helped him through, he continued: “It’s been an emotional and very difficult summer for me but I’ve got through with a lot of help from close friends and family.”
Trevor Nelson returned to BBC Radio 2 for the first time since undergoing “very serious surgery” for a brain tumour
Trevor announced in June that he would be extending his Radio 2 break to focus on his health but did not share any details at the time
‘My management, my wife has been amazing and everybody close to me. Do you know what? it feels weird to say people who I don’t know have helped me massively. All the listeners. All the love has been overwhelming.
‘In my darkest moments it really did help me through. People say this and sometimes I’m like “does it really help?” oh it does. When you people hear about you and want you back.
‘I feel so good, this date was a target to come back on air. I was bugging my doctor saying “can I get back? Do you reckon it will be too soon”. But I’ve made it back. It’s great being back broadcasting to you guys.’
Trevor went on to say he is presenting again on Wednesday and is staggering days, with hopes to present more shows next week.
The presenter kicked off the show with Welcome Back by John Sebastian followed by Stevie Wonder’s (Uptight) Everything’s Alright.
Trevor added: ‘I feel that way, everything’s alright.
‘I’ve missed sitting in this seat. Sitting in this studio, being on the eighth floor of BBC Broadcasting House. The best radio station in the world.
‘I’ve missed you most of all, boy have I missed you guys.’
Returning to the airwaves, Trevor said: ‘I’m so happy to be here. Back with my colleagues. It is like a family. It feels like I’ve been away and come back’
Trevor spoke about his health battle in an Instagram video last month.
Last month Trevor explained his absence, revealing he had been diagnosed with a brain tumour and has undergone ‘very serious surgery’ to treat it
At the TRIC Awards Nelson cast doubt over his future at Radio 2 telling the crowd, ‘I don’t know how many more years I can do’
He told fans: ‘A lot of you may have seen the post that I put up at the start of summer, saying that I was stepping back from all my work commitments due to illness.
‘There’s been a lot of speculation as to what’s wrong with me, I know that much. My phone’s blown up 20 times over with people asking what’s wrong with me.
‘Due to the love and the positive vibes, thousands of you have been sending me, I felt that I should at least tell you what is wrong with me and what happened to me.’
He said he may share the ‘whole crazy story’ at a later date, but plans to keep it mostly private for the time being.
Trevor continued: ‘I’ll tell you this, I was minding my own business and then it was discovered that I had a brain tumour.
‘As you can imagine, I was shocked. In fact, my world was turned upside down.’
He said ‘quite literally’ that his head was ‘all over the place’ but that he knew he had to stop work.
He confirmed he had a ‘very serious surgery’ that went well, spending the last month in recovery and in post-op treatment.
‘I can only tell you the truth,’ he added. ‘I feel great right now, I feel ready to come back. I feel energised and almost back to myself.
‘I’ve had a really serious situation but I’ve come out the other side and I feel great. I feel raring to go. I feel in good health.’
In the caption, Trevor wrote: ‘I’m feeling good. I will be back to work very soon. To radio first and later to my DJ gigs. Thank you for all your messages, your love and your support.’
Confirmation of the health issue previously sparked concern amongst some of the popular presenter’s fanbase that his lengthy career, both on radio and behind the decks, could be coming to an end.
Back in June, friends insisted that Trevor is confident that, after a break from work, he will be able to return to presenting.
They also confirmed he is still going ahead with planning his busy end-of-year schedule, which includes his annual sell-out Christmas events at the Royal Albert Hall.
Trevor – usually presents weekdays 2-4pm on Radio 2, and BBC Radio 1Xtra each Sunday from 11am-1pm – had posted on Instagram in June: ‘I wanted to let my followers, radio listeners and all my Soul Nation party-people know that I’m going to be taking a little break from my work commitments.
‘Some of you may already have noticed that I’ve not been on my daily Radio 2 slot this week.
‘After a routine check-up, I was advised to have some follow-up tests. As a result, I will be taking some further time off. As I’m sure you can appreciate, given health issues, it’s important to deal with facts rather than speculate.
‘So I’m concentrating on getting better, being back to 100 per cent me and getting back behind the mic and the decks.’
When he appeared at the Television and Radio Industries Club (TRIC) Awards, where he was recognised with the TRIC special award, Trevor also appeared to cast doubt on his future as a radio presenter.
As Our News Outlet reported, he told the audience at the event: ‘Thirty years at the BBC, ten years at KISS FM: 40 years doing radio.
‘I don’t know how many more years I can do, I love every single moment of it.’
But one close friend has now confirmed: ‘Trevor’s doing the right thing by stepping back to make sure this health issue is properly sorted out.
‘But he’s confident of returning to work after the summer. It would be wrong to put an exact date on things, but give him a couple of months, and there seems to be every prospect of a return to work.
‘And he’s already looking forward to his regular DJ stints at the end of the year, such as the Christmas shows at the Albert Hall.’
Radio 2 presenter Vernon Kay paid tribute to Trevor on his mid-morning show shortly after the news of his illness broke.
He said: ‘Everyone at BBC Radio 2, including the mid-morning show, is sending Trevor all the very, very best wishes. We absolutely love him to bits.
‘He’s a stalwart broadcaster within the UK – I played golf with him a couple of weeks ago, and he was in a buoyant mood.
‘And I know that this challenge is something that Trevor is going to face head-on. So Trevor, we are sending you all our love and hopefully see you on the links very soon, my friend.’
