has opened up about his wife’s diagnosis after initially believing she had a stomach bug.
The explained his wife Charlie Henson had a ‘bad tummy’ over Christmas 2020, assuming she had contracted an illness from one of the animals on their farm.
But by February 2021 Charlie, who has two children with Adam, said she was still feeling unwell and booked a non-urgent GP appointment, with preliminary tests showing nothing of concern.
Charlie explained she had googled her symptoms, which were consistent with pancreatic cancer, but the doctor said it was ‘highly unlikely’ she had the disease.
Subsequent tests revealed she had pancreatic cancer and a 4.5cm tumour, results she described as ‘absolute hell.’
‘I couldn’t process it, it was too big to take in,’ she added.
Reflecting on the diagnosis, Adam told : ‘It was a huge shock. By nature, I’m a pragmatist, which probably comes from being a farmer. I deal in facts, and I work out what can be done, but in this situation, I was totally lost.
‘I knew I needed to be strong and support Charlie and the kids but how do you do that? I had to try to find a way to get us through this nightmare.’
He continued: ‘In those weeks, we lived on a knife-edge, unsure whether her disease was terminal. It was a terrible time: Charlie is my soulmate, we have two wonderful children together, and I cannot imagine life without her. But it was of course many, many times worse for her.’
Charlie, who said she wanted to finally marry Adam after her diagnosis, underwent an operation the week before her wedding.
She is now in ‘ongoing recovery’ and has six-monthly scans, which she described as ‘absolutely terrifying.’
Charlie said she returned to work as a location manager for TV part-time in May this year and has also made a vow to travel more with Adam.
Adam said: ‘Our experience means we both want to make the absolute most of life, say yes to things and make time for what’s important.’
A farmer by trade, Adam, who runs the Cotswold Farm Park, broke into TV in 2021 when he secured a presenting position on Countryfile.
He also co-hosted BBC’s Nigel and Adam’s Farm Kitchen along with Nigel Slater and has appeared on other shows including Farming Today and Gardener’s World.
Countryfile is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
