Braintree MP opens up on wife's cancer battle in TV show

James Cleverly MP appeared with wife Susie in a tell-all interview with Sky News.

The Foreign Secretary was visibly emotional, with the couple talking about coming to terms with his wife’s diagnosis of breast cancer in late 2021.

The mother of two has been receiving treatment, with MRI tests discovering 12 lumps in her breast.

In the interview, it was revealed Mrs Cleverly, 49, has since had a mastectomy and is receiving immunotherapy.

The treatment is also said to have taken its toll on her, with side-effects including her toenails falling out, ulcers and hives.

The couple, who met at university, have been married for 29 years and Mr Cleverly, 53, was regularly seen supporting his wife through her treatment.

Since the diagnosis, it had been a turbulent time for the couple with Mr Cleverly’s becoming Education Secretary and then Foreign Secretary.

However, the Braintree MP revealed he nearly didn’t accept the role as his appointment coincided with his wife’s chemotherapy.

Mr Cleverly could be seen holding back tears during the interview on Sky News’ Beth Rigby Interviews show.

He admitted at stages he feared he might lose his wife, saying: “There have been a couple of times when I had to think about that.

"I hadn’t thought about my own mortality and I certainly hadn’t ever really given any thought to losing Susie, or what that might feel like, and then suddenly you’ve got to confront that.”

On the Foreign Secretary job, he said: "Had I been asked perhaps six or seven months ago when you went through chemo, I don't think I would have been able to give it the energy and the focus I think the job deserves.

"She's always been very, very supportive of me and my career. And I do travel a lot. I think the big thing from this is, I think both of us, maybe me, I'm less blase about the time we do have together.

"So when we are together, we're very, very conscious of making that time really valuable.”