TV health expert Nigel Latta shares that he has 'incurable' cancer and was told he had around a year to live

Psychologist Nigel Latta spoke about his devastating diagnosis to his 7,000 followers in a video he uploaded to his Instagram page earlier this month.

The 57-year-old New Zealand clinical psychologist and author, who gained fame for his true crime documentaries and psychology-based television series’, published a video of himself talking to the camera and giving the health update.

He started the video by explaining that, around a month ago, he went to his GP complaining about feeling full after eating very little and experiencing a “really uncomfortable sort of full feeling at the back of [his] throat.”

Latta’s GP sent him to a gastroenterologist, where he was given an endoscopy, a test to look inside the body which is performed via a camera put down the throat.

After his procedure, he said a nurse came in and she said ‘right, your specialist will be in with you in a moment to discuss the results and your emergency MRI is booked for this afternoon’.

He explained: “The second bit made me think ‘hold on, back up the truck a little, why the emergency MRI?’ Because those are never good.”

He went on: “The specialist came in and she said there was a large mass that looked like a tumour at the bottom of my stomach. She said it was probably cancer. That was not a great moment.”

Latta then said a surgeon told him his cancer was incurable and inoperable, and gave him less than a year to live. “[My surgeon], he said it was inoperable because the tumour has spread out too far through the stomach lining, and it was also incurable just because of where it’s at.

He went on: “I said ‘just give me a number, how long’. That’s what you want to know. He didn’t want to give us a number. I said, ‘look, based on what you’ve got in front of you, how long? He said six to 12 months.”

He also revealed in the video that he has only been married to his wife Natalie Flynn for six months, and spoke about how, in another six months, they are due to celebrate their one year wedding anniversary.

Latta added: “People talk about trauma. I’ve been through some pretty traumatic things. That was probably the most traumatic thing I’ve ever been through. I remember my brain feeling disconnected, like I’d be slapped.

“I clearly remember standing outside after he told me this thing, and not knowing what to do or where to go. I just stood there feeling completely and utterly paralyzed. It felt too hard to go home and be with the kids, so that night we went to a hotel and I ate lots of ice cream and cried.”

The TV star went on to say he was booked into chemotherapy treatment, which he has now started. He has done four rounds of chemotherapy which he described as “scary”. He also said it felt as though he has “fallen off the side of the world.”

Latta explained that he has had other scans since receiving his diagnosis, and lymph node activity previously detected had cleared and the tumour in his stomach has shrunk. This means he now expects his prognosis to be longer than a year.

“I’m pretty sure I’m going to be around for quite some time,” he said in a subsequent post. He also spoke further about his mortalitity, however, and said he had been struggling to think about leaving his new wife alone.

Giving the most up-to-date information on his condition, he said that he was due to start a new round of chemotherapy which would last three months. “Then we’ll see where we’re up to,” he added, assuring fans that he would provide updates as he advanced through his treatment.

He concluded his video with the dark humour he is known for. He said: “One of the good things about cancer, is you don’t need to worry about cancer, because you’ve already got it. I don’t have to worry about getting cancer, I just have to worry about dying from cancer so it’s kind of swings and roundabouts.”

Many of Latta’s fans left messages of support on the post. One said: “You are so loved, and your impact is so great. So grateful to have met you once and experienced what a very special human you are.”

Another fan shared their family experience with the disease: “So sorry to hear you're going through this. You've been a staple in our house with your shows/books since I can remember. My dad, who is the same age as you, is going through a very, very similar journey with cancer. It's hard to put into words how devastating it is. But your outlook and willingness to advocate in your time of need is so inspiring. Wishing you the very best going forward.”

A third said: “Oh Nigel! Of all the people. Thank you for being so real. I hope your journey is longer than the specialist said and I hope you and Natalie find ways to manage during this horrid time. Much love and respect.”