Jo Wilson has revealed she was wrongly told in February that her cancer had come back, three years after being declared free of stage three cervical cancer.
The 41-year-old shared the harrowing experience in an Instagram post on Tuesday, describing how a routine three-year scan led doctors to inform her that the disease had returned in a lymph node.
“I couldn’t believe it — it felt like my whole world had crumbled all over again,” Ms Wilson wrote.
The Scottish broadcaster, who joined Sky as a trainee in 2011 and began presenting in 2015, had previously beaten the disease following a gruelling course of treatment in 2022, returning to screens later that year and confirming she was cancer-free in 2023.
Jo Wilson has revealed she was wrongly told her cervical cancer had returned following a routine scan
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INSTAGRAM / JO WILSON
However, after Ms Wilson was referred to a high-dose radiotherapy team, one consultant raised doubts about whether the diagnosis was accurate.
What ensued was an agonising five-month period of further tests, scans and waiting.
Last week, she finally received the news that it was not cancer.
The lymph node has now been identified as a benign neuroma- a cluster of nerves believed to have been inflamed when the original scan was carried out.
The Sky Sports News presenter said she spent five months believing the disease had come back before receiving the all-clear
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INSTAGRAM / JO WILSON
“The relief was indescribable, but so too is the emotional toll from the last five months, believing — then not knowing if my cancer had returned,” Ms Wilson wrote.
She described the prolonged uncertainty as “incredibly hard,” having spent months oscillating between fear and hope without any definitive answer.
Throughout those months, Ms Wilson kept up appearances outwardly as she continued to work, raising her daughter, playing padel regularly and spending time with loved ones.
“But underneath it all, I was carrying something very heavy, and there were times I found myself in some very dark places,” she wrote.
The presenter acknowledged that her social media presence during this period would have painted an entirely different picture from her reality.
“Those moments were all real. But they existed alongside this,” she explained. “Instagram is a highlight reel, not the whole story.”
Ms Wilson lives in the Cotswolds with her long-term partner Dan McGrath and their daughter, whom she welcomed in September 2020.
Her message received an outpouring of support from Sky colleagues,
Emma Paton left three red love hearts in the comments section of Ms Wilson’s post.
Hayley McQueen wrote: “Could not be more proud of how you have navigated this. So lucky to call you such a good friend, wonderful wonderful news.”
Melissa Reddy penned: “Love, strength and admiration to you and for you, Jo.”
Izzy Christiansen and fellow cancer survivor Emma Saunders also left messages of support.
Ms Wilson was diagnosed with stage three cervical cancer in 2022 after attending a routine smear test
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INSTAGRAM / JO WILSON
Ms Wilson’s original cancer diagnosis came in June 2022 following a routine smear test, which detected stage three cervical cancer not long after the birth of her daughter Mabel.
“It hit me like a truck,” she said in her documentary Football, Cancer and Me, which aired in November 2025.
“I did wonder if I’m going to die. I’d prepared myself for the worst, I think you have to.”
Her treatment spanned five weeks and consisted of daily radiotherapy, weekly chemotherapy and three days of invasive internal brachytherapy.
Ms Wilson said the recent health scare reminded her that ‘Instagram is a highlight reel, not the whole story’
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INSTAGRAM / JO WILSON
Being separated from her young daughter during that time was something she called the “darkest” phase of her illness.
“I actually didn’t tell anyone. I didn’t want to put it on anyone,” she recalled.
Ms Wilson said she wanted to speak out partly because she believes cancer survivors are never truly liberated from the disease, even after treatment concludes.
“The fear of recurrence can stay with you long after treatment ends, and I think it’s important we talk about that reality,” she wrote.
The broadcaster returned to Sky Sports News after completing treatment and has since spoken openly about her cancer journey
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INSTAGRAM / JO WILSON
“If you’re someone living beyond a cancer diagnosis, please know you’re not alone.”
She also urged people to remember that anyone around them could be silently enduring their own struggles, and issued a simple plea: “Be kind. Always.”
The broadcaster has previously campaigned for women to attend their cervical screening appointments, noting that one in three do not go for their smear test despite roughly one in 130 women in the UK being diagnosed with cervical cancer during their lifetime.
“I promise you, it’s far better than going through cancer,” she said.
