Lauren Laverne has revealed being outside has been her ‘therapy’ as she reflected on ‘tricky times’ over the past decade. The BBC broadcaster, who presents Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs and a BBC Radio 6 Music weekday show, revealed earlier this month that she had been diagnosed with a rare blood and bone marrow disorder. The diagnosis comes two years after she publicly announced she was battling cancer in August 2024, before being given the ‘all-clear’ in the following November. And now Lauren has revealed how much being outside has helped her as she explained: ‘My garden has been massive therapy for me. ‘I mean, I’ve had a tricky time over the last few years. And so I’ve spent more and more and more time outside. I think the older I’ve got, the more I’ve needed that time outdoors.’Reflecting on the last decade she continued: ‘I mean, so in the past eight years, you know, I lost my mam and dad, they both died. And then I got cancer and been through lots of different health challenges with like recovery and things like that. Lauren Laverne reflected on ‘tricky times’ as she said being outside has been her ‘therapy’ after rare blood and bone marrow disorder diagnosis and cancer battle’It’s been really important to have the garden, I’ve spent more and more time out there.”I mean I was in hospital when I had cancer for a month. And it was this time of year so I was like looking out onto this heatwave, I was right in this big hospital in London looking out into a big park and I just, I couldn’t feel it. ‘I just remember thinking- god you know I’ve been the same temperature for like weeks and weeks and weeks and the artificial light and everything it’s very strange. ‘And so I think when I got home I just wanted to be outside.’Earlier this month Lauren revealed she had been diagnosed with smouldering myeloma, an asymptomatic blood and bone marrow disorder that in some people can develop into blood cancer.’Hi. So – personal news,’ Lauren began her post. ‘I’m quite a private person by nature but am sharing this as one of the many things I’ve learned after going through health challenges in recent years is that talking about this stuff helps people.’I’ve been diagnosed with something called smouldering myeloma. (yes that is a weird name and no I’ve never heard of it either).’It’s an asymptomatic blood and bone marrow disorder that in some people can develop into blood cancer. Thankfully for me the risk of this happening in my case is pretty low.’She continued: ‘At the moment I feel OK and don’t need treatment. Most people my age who have it have no idea – it tends to be cancer survivors like me who are diagnosed early as we’re so carefully monitored.’It has nothing to do with my previous illness or my recent surgery, it’s just one of those things.’It is a chronic condition – no cure yet – and it does mean my immune system is a bit compromised, so I will need to take good care of myself and I will be carefully monitored with blood tests, MRIs and bone marrow biopsies (which I have recently discovered are even less fun than they sound).”It’s been a lot, especially coming less than two years after my last diagnosis, but I know that seeing others in the public eye with comparable situations has helped me, so I thought I’d be upfront about it. She said: ‘In the past eight years I lost my mam and dad, they both died. And then I got cancer and been through lots of different health challenges with like recovery and things like that’Lauren, who has previously said that she has battled health anxiety stemming from the loss of her mother to cancer in 2022, continued: ‘I’ve had some difficult experiences in the last eight years, but I have learned more from them than some people do in a lifetime and that is helping me right now. I am so grateful for that.She went on to thank her ‘family, friends and the 6 Music team for their love and support and to the doctors, consultants and nurses who have been helping me as well as my brilliant therapist, and my wonderful GP who are both always in my corner’.Lauren also gave praise to her GP, pointing out that ‘this is the second big problem my GP has caught early and it is frankly impossible to adequately express my gratitude’.’I was pretty blasé about my persistently low iron levels but he insisted we get to the bottom of what was going on. My message to others would be like him, not me!”Advocate for yourself if you need to and ask to see a haematologist if you are in the same situation.’I’m taking a couple of weeks holiday and will be back to work as normal after that. I feel like I have more to say about this and the other experiences I’ve had, so maybe I’ll find a place to do that soon.She signed off her post: ‘For now, lots of love, especially to anyone dealing with a similar issue. LL xx.’