James Whale joked that the ‘plug’s been pulled on me’ before his humour turned to heartache, writing that he struggled to accept that he would not being alive to see Christmas

Tragic James Whale spoke about his Christmas regrets before joking about hanging out with some broadcasting heroes in the sky as his typically light-hearted final words were revealed.

The legendary radio host died at the age of 74 last week following a brave battle with cancer which spanned five gruelling years. The former Celebrity Big Brother star was first diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2000 and had documented his journey up until his final days.

In his posthumous last column for the Daily Express, which was written in the weeks before his death, James offered a departing message and heartbreakingly told fans that he didn’t want to die. He reflected on his extraordinary life and his fight against cancer as he offered some final political thoughts.

He admitted that the past few months had been ‘hard’ and expressed sadness at missing Christmas(Image: Instagram/jameswhaleradio)

“If you’re reading this then I’m dead,” he bluntly started this article. “I’ve always wanted to write that. Well, obviously not always. But, bear with me because there’s something very tempting, after more than half a century as a journalist and broadcaster, of having the final word!

“And this I suppose is it, my friends. You’re reading this and I’m in the great radio studio in the sky, hanging out (hopefully) with some of my own broadcasting heroes. ’m writing at the age of 74 facing, probably, the last few weeks of my life. I can’t pretend it’s not hard on me or my lovely wife, Nadine, and my family and friends, too.

“But it feels necessary, and I hope they’ll understand. I’m sure they’ll be chuckling. After all, I couldn’t be silenced in life and, well, even now I’m still banging on! Of course, I don’t want to die. I first beat kidney cancer 25 years ago despite being given a 50-50 chance of survival.

“Then five years ago, my cancer came back and this time round it’s been more of a score-draw. It’s spread to my spine, my brain, all over really. I’ve made a career of cutting people off. It was pretty revolutionary back in the day when I first introduced live phone calls to my late-night show at Metro Radio in Newcastle. Now, I suppose, the plug’s been pulled on me!”

But with the humour soon came heartbreak, and James then spoke about not being alive to see Christmas. “It happens to us all in the end. But without wanting to blow my own trumpet (though if I can’t blow it now, when can I?), I think I’ve probably beaten the odds several times already just by lasting this long.

“It’s safe to say though that I won’t be around to celebrate Christmas and, while that makes me sadder than I can say – there have been plenty of tears – it’s the hand I’ve been dealt.”

“I’d love to be around to see if Reform UK wins the next general election and whether my old friend and sparring partner Nigel Farage can sort out Britain’s many problems; learn whether Keir Starmer even makes it to the elections – let alone Rachel Reeves!

“And, touch wood, to see Ukraine free once again from Russian warmongering. But in the grand scheme of things, I’ve not had a bad run. Even if I’ve not quite made the average age for men of my generation (82, since you ask), I’ve comfortably out-performed the expectations of those born only a decade or so earlier than I was.”

Last Monday, his wife, Nadine confirmed that James died earlier that day. She told the publication: “James slipped away very gently this morning. It was a beautiful passing, and he left with a smile on his face.”

In a statement shared on social media, TalkTV said: “We are sad to announce that James Whale MBE died earlier today, aged 74, following a lengthy battle with cancer. As a broadcasting legend for over 50 years, James will be missed by so many at TALK and the wider News UK family.”