Deborah Norville to undergo cancer surgery after fan spots tumor
Deborah Norville will undergo cancer surgery on Tuesday — and owes the life-saving diagnosis to the keen eyes of a viewer, who spotted a lump in her neck, the “Inside Edition” host announced.
Norville, 60, said in a video message Monday that doctors will remove a cancerous thyroid nodule, which she has been monitoring for years since the unnamed fan brought it to her attention.
“When you work on television, viewers comment on everything — your hair, your makeup, the dress you’re wearing,” Norville said. “And, a long time ago, an ‘Inside Edition’ viewer reached out to say she’d seen something on my neck. It was a lump.”
Norville’s nodule initially didn’t pose a threat, but physicians later determined the lump became a localized form of cancer and required surgery, she said.
“For years, it was nothing,” Norville said. “Until recently, it was something.”
The host, who joined “Inside Edition” in 1995, said colleague Diane McIrney will pitch in on the show while she seeks treatment.
“I thank you very much. I’ll be away for a bit,” said Norville, who did not specify how long she’d be away. “Until then, thanks for watching.”
Norville is not the first TV personality who has a viewer to thank for a critical diagnosis.
An eagle-eyed fan watching HGTV’s “Flip or Flop” in 2013 noticed a lump on host Tarek El Moussa’s neck and emailed the show. He sought treatment for what turned out to be thyroid cancer, which is now in remission.