Princess Diana’s former aide Paul Burrell reveals his cancer diagnosis

The 64-year-old made the heartbreaking announcement on Lorraine.

Princess Diana's former aide Paul Burrell has revealed the sad news that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The 64-year-old made the heartbreaking announcement on Lorraine and revealed that he had been diagnosed last year. Paul said he never imagined something like this would ever happen to him and is now on an "emotional, educational rollercoaster." He said: "I’m tired because I am on hormone therapy at the moment. It’s robbing me of my testosterone and so my beard isn’t growing like it should.

"I’m tired and I’m emotional and I get hot flushes. "In the summer, I had to go for a medical for a TV programme I was doing and their duty of care was that I had a full MOT.

"Out of that came a surprisingly high PSA test... It's a chemical that's released by your prostate gland."

As he became visibly emotional, Paul continued: "Having the biopsy itself and finding the cancer, wrapping Christmas presents this year and thinking: 'Am I going to do this next year? Am I going to be here? I need to tell my boys'. "I went to America over Christmas and told them. "They sat with me and they held me and they said: 'Dad, we need to spend more time with you.' "That's what it's about." The close friend to the late Princess of Wales then urged viewers to get a "simple blood test" to detect signs of prostate cancer as early as possible. He said that while he was "lucky" to have caught it when he did, there are "thousands of men out there who don’t have symptoms". "You’ve got loads of lovely female viewers who can say to their men, 'Go get tested'," he said. Paul became known to the world when he served as a footman to the late Queen Elizabeth II, and a butler to Diana, Princess of Wales. Beginning his career at only 18, he worked as the Queen's personal footman for a year and later grew close with Diana as she described him as her "rock."