For an episode of his show Paddy Gower Has Issues, Gower was filmed having a colonoscopy – a procedure that examines the inside of the colon to check for polyps and cancerous growths. Photo / Three
For an episode of his show Paddy Gower Has Issues, Gower was filmed having a colonoscopy – a procedure that examines the inside of the colon to check for polyps and cancerous growths. Photo / Three
Paddy Gower faced one of his greatest fears on television last night – publicly grappling with a potential cancer diagnosis while filming a segment for his current affairs show Paddy Gower Has Issues.
As part of the show’s lead segment, calling for New Zealand’s bowel cancer screening age tobe lowered, Gower was filmed having a colonoscopy – a procedure that examines the inside of the colon to check for polyps and cancerous growths.
“Screening and catching bowel cancer early, saves lives,” Gower said when introducing the episode.
What the audience didn’t know was that the award-winning journalist was talking about himself.
During the endoscopic examination, two growths were found to be developing in Gower’s bowels and were snared and cauterised.
Gower, 48, has medical anxiety due to a family history with cancer, telling the Herald: “My mum died of cancer, one of my great fears is getting cancer myself.
“To hear that I had a pre-cancerous growth... it was really quite frightening.”
Paddy Gower on the September 23 episode of Paddy Gower Has Issues. Photo / Three
Colorectal surgeon Frank Frizell, who performed the private procedure out of hours, told the journalist, “It’s good that you’re having this procedure given what I’ve seen already.”
Post-procedure, the surgeon explained that one of the polyps was pre-cancerous and if left untreated it presented “a high chance of turning up as more mischief for you”.
The revelation gave the reporter a personal perspective on calls to widen access to bowel cancer screening.
“In eight to 10 years, it would be a full bowel cancer. I’d still be beneath the current screening age of 60.”
At 48 and with no symptoms, Gower wouldn’t meet current criteria to access a colonoscopy. This brought up a range of emotions for him.
“I feel really bad having got one. I got it as a TV stunt to show people what it can do.
“You just think of all the other people out there that have those pre-cancerous growths like what I had, your mind boggles. To think that there’s 20,000 people with symptoms [on the current waiting list], it’s just absolutely heartbreaking.”
Another heartbreaking aspect of the episode involved Aimee-Rose Yates, a Bowel Cancer New Zealand ambassador, who died in July, aged 32.
During a 2023 election debate, Yates challenged Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins, who were Opposition leader and Prime Minister respectively at the time, to lower the national bowel cancer screening age from 60 to 45, the age Australia currently screens from. Both agreed.
Aimee-Rose Yates, Bowel Cancer New Zealand ambassador, died in July, age 32. Photo / Supplied
Luxon is yet to make good on his promise, and Gower used the episode as a chance to probe the Prime Minister on the perceived inaction.
“I feel a responsibility to Aimee-Rose,” said Gower, who hosted that 2023 debate.
In August, Bowel Cancer New Zealand met with Minister of Health Simeon Brown to advocate for lowering the national bowel screening age. They say the meeting was constructive, with the minister outlining work taken in response to the charity’s screening proposals put to him in February “but screening timelines remain unclear”.
In the episode, the Prime Minister acknowledged staffing was a key pacing issue impeding progress.
“The challenge is resourcing and making sure people had access to colonoscopies and we’re exploring all avenues.”
In a statement provided to Paddy Gower Has Issues the Prime Minister’s Office signalled a forthcoming announcement around a rollout of home tests to ease demand on colonoscopies, saying they would have “more to say about it soon”.
Gower says he appreciates the Prime Minister’s latest commitment and believes he has genuine intentions to do something about the colonoscopy demand.
“He hasn’t yet kept the promise that he made to Aimee-Rose. There’s still time for the Prime Minister to keep his promise to Aimee-Rose and hopefully he does.”
Bowel cancer symptoms
If you have any of these symptoms, please see your GP straight away:
