Kiwi TV star Nigel Latta reveals terminal cancer diagnosis

Prominent psychologist Nigel Latta has revealed he has “incurable” cancer.

Latta, a mainstay of New Zealand television and a popular author, published a video of himself talking about his diagnosis on social media this evening.

“[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,” Latta said.

“People talk about trauma. I’ve been through some pretty traumatic things. That was probably the most traumatic thing I’ve ever been through.”

The 57-year-old said he went to his GP complaining about feeling full after eating very little and a “really uncomfortable sort of full feeling at the back of my throat”.

Latta’s GP sent him to a gastroenterologist, where he was given an endoscopy [a tube down his throat].

“And 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’.

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

“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 also said he had been told it was incurable and inoperable, giving him less than 12 months to live.

“I said [to the specialist], ‘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.

“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 standing outside after he told me this thing, and not knowing what to do or where to go. I remember standing there and being 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.

He was booked into chemotherapy treatment, which he has started. He said he had done four rounds of chemo: “It’s a fun old time – oh ho, it’s a fun old time,” he said with a sardonic smile.

Latta said he has had other scans since receiving his diagnosis, and lymph node activity previously detected had cleared and the tumour in his stomach had shrunk.

He then gave advice to others facing a similar experience: “First thing, we don’t choose the things that happen to us, but we can choose how we respond. Second thing, focus on the things you can control.”

Latta made special mention of his wife Natalie Flynn, who was there when he learnt of his diagnosis and life expectancy. He said he had been struggling to think about leaving her alone.

“Tomorrow, I start a new round of chemo. Three months of that and then we’ll see where we’re up to,” he said. He said he would provide updates as he advanced through his illness.

“If you’re going through this stuff, [this] website [www.gutcancer.org.nz] has lots of really great resources. They’re a great organization, they’ve got a whole team of oncologists and specialists behind that kind of stuff. It’s a good place to go that you can really trust.

“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.”

This article was first published by Raphael Franks in the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.