Simon Jordan announces he has cancer live on talkSPORT, pleads with men to take it seriously

Simon Jordan has announced he has prostate cancer live on talkSPORT and urged other men to get checked.

The former Crystal Palace man is a regular on the radio alongside Jim White and known for his passionate debates with guests and callers.

He's had a brief absence from the show in recent times and upon his return on Tuesday, revealed that he is recovering from cancer and had surgery which has left him with "six holes in his stomach".

Jordan used his platform to give an important four-minute speech on talkSPORT delving into his diagnosis and his procedure, pleading with men to take it seriously because of the alarming rates.

On average, more than 52,000 people are diagnosed each year.

"I'm recovering from cancer, I've had some quite significant surgery, two weeks ago for prostate cancer," he explained.

"As you can see I'm able to come in today but it will take some time to recover.

"The reason I bring it up is that I think it is an important message.

"If I hadn't have had surgery, I wouldn't be here. There's a real issue of this about awareness. If you don't address it with a simple test, one in eight white men and one in four men get prostate cancer.

"I wanted to impart the important message to get tested. I've sitting here with six holes in my stomach, peeing a bit of blood but I am here.

"What would you rather die of, embarrassment? There's lots of people who have had this sort of situation. It is something men shouldn't ignore.

"Men do need to pay attention and I didn't enjoy the surgery but I had a top, top surgeon. I have to recover for a bit and have a number of tests going forward."

The 55-year-old received plenty of support from talkSPORT listeners, who commended him for speaking so openly.

Jordan bought Crystal Palace in 2000 after making his money in the mobile phone industry and was the youngest chairman in the Football League at the time.

He had been a footballer as a youngster and signed schoolboy forms with Chelsea and Palace.

Most cases in prostate cancer develop in men aged 50 or older and symptoms can include an increased need to pee, straining while peeing or a feeling that the bladder has not fully emptied.

It can be treated through surgery or radiotherapy, with a number of different tests available under the NHS.