Kirsty Gallacher reveals her brain tumour is ‘growing very fast’

Kirsty Gallacher has shared a stark update on her benign brain tumour, as she blasted a judge for showing ‘no empathy’ after being banned from driving for six months for speeding.

The TV presenter, 49, admitted the offence but asked not to be banned so she could continue to drive for family and work commitments, insisting she couldn’t afford to pay for a taxi as she is the sole financial provider for her two children.

Kirsty has a benign brain tumour which has left her deaf in one ear and suffers tinnitus as a result, and speaking in court, she shared that the tumour is ‘growing very fast’.

The star added that she’s been undergoing radiotherapy, but doesn’t know if it’ll help shrink the tumour.

She said: ‘I am not a precious person, I am very humble. I am not saying that I can’t use public transport. We have all now and again done that.’

Sophia Dower, representing the TV presenter, said that Gallacher is ‘the epitome of a one-woman-band’.

In court, she said of her health issues: ‘I have a brain tumour, an acoustic neuroma – it is benign. 

‘But it’s growing very fast. They have monitored it for the last three years. I am now doing radiotherapy.

‘We don’t know if the radiotherapy is going to work, if it will shrink [the tumour] or not. It’s a bit of a suck it and see situation.’

The presenter earns £150,000 a year presenting Gold Radio and told the court she has around £80,000 in savings. 

Along with a six-month driving ban, Kirsty was also fined a total of £1,044 for the offence. 

District Judge Arvind Sharma told her: ‘I accept that things will be harder for you, but those are all manageable. 

‘I don’t accept that your son needs a lift every morning, and you have adequate money saved up that you can use taxis for your children and yourself.’

She was also fined a total of £1,044 for the offence.

Gallacher spoke to the Daily Mail exclusively and said that the decision was a ‘shock’.

She said: ‘There’s no empathy. I’m just an ordinary mum with plates spinning, I do everything. With my health as well, it’s going to be very difficult.’

In October, Kirsty shared that she would be undergoing a month of radiotherapy after being diagnosed with a benign brain tumour.

The Gold radio presenter took to her Instagram story to share a gruesome image of a needle which had been inserted into her arm.

She captioned it: ‘And so the radiotherapy prep starts, just under a month to go!’

Kirsty also added another image of a yellow mask, and joked, ‘My “Hannibal lector” mask… can’t wait’, which is believed to be used as part of her treatment.

Four years ago, the mother-of-two shared that she had been diagnosed with a benign ear tumour. 

Since then she has spoken about her ongoing tinnitus battle and hearing loss, which has been brought on from her health condition. 

The former Sky Sports presenter, explained that her tumour was inoperable and it would take ‘very dangerous’ surgery to remove it.

Speaking on Loose Women, Kirsty described the tumour, which is located in the inner canal of her right ear.

She said: ‘A couple of years ago, I literally woke up and I couldn’t really hear out of my right ear and I thought, “Oh, that’s a bit odd”.

‘I’d been flown the week before and thought it’s not popped, and went to the doctor and it was a medical emergency because obviously, it could be a brain tumour.

‘So, they were brilliant, they sent me straight to see a consultant. 

‘It took a while for them to work out what was going on because it was after Covid, but it is called an acoustic neuroma, which is a benign tumour that happens to many people. Don’t know why.’

Speaking on The Vanessa Feltz Show alongside audiologist Dr Gladys Sanda, the 49-year-old presenter discussed the challenges she faces in noisy environments.

She said: ‘They have suggested a hearing aid. I’m not there yet, I don’t think. I’m managing it fine.

‘I do find it upsetting and I sympathise… it’s management and sometimes if I’m in an acoustically difficult environment, say I was out for dinner last night, noisy environment, I have to leave sometimes. I get really upset.

‘I can’t cope with it because I can’t hear anyone… I now look at people’s lips because my hearing loss is pretty bad in my right ear.’

Kirsty was diagnosed after experiencing hearing difficulties during rehearsals for GB News in 2021.