Coronation Street male breast cancer storyline sparks awareness call
Coronation Street's Kit Green receives a stage three breast cancer diagnosis, and charity founder James Richards discusses his own battle to raise awareness.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
A Coronation Street storyline has brought male breast cancer into the spotlight after character Kit Green was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer. The soap aired a scene where Kit, played by an actor, struggles to accept the diagnosis, saying 'Breast cancer? It doesn't make sense I'm a bloke.' The show is using the plot to highlight that while breast cancer mostly occurs in women, men can be affected too.
The storyline resonated deeply with James Richards, founder of Moobs, the UK's first organisation dedicated to men with breast cancer. Richards, who was diagnosed at 36, said watching last night's episode felt strange and took him back to his own diagnosis. He praised the soap for raising awareness but stressed that more work is needed, especially to reach male audiences.
Richards first found a lump in November 2022 but dismissed it, saying breast cancer was the furthest thing from his mind. He only went to the doctor after it started hurting, and things moved quickly after that. He said: 'It's better to be safe than sorry like all cancers the sooner you find something the more there's a chance to actually do something about it.'
He also highlighted a US study showing the mortality rate from breast cancer is 19 percent higher in men than in women. He put this down partly to a lack of awareness and a tendency for men to be stoic. Richards received the all clear in 2024, but noted that many men only begin to come to terms with the illness after treatment ends.
The Coronation Street storyline, he said, is 'amazing for awareness' but is not a silver bullet. He pointed out that the soap's audience is skewed female, by about three to one, so men need to be reached through other means. His organisation has a report due out next month that tracks awareness in men, and he called the data 'shocking'.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 |
|---|---|
| A US study found the mortality rate for male breast cancer is 19 percent higher than for women. | |
| Coronation Street featured a storyline in which Kit Green received a stage three breast cancer diagnosis. | |
| Men can get breast cancer, although it is less common than in women. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The channel led with the soap storyline before pivoting to a live interview with James Richards, using his personal experience to underline the real-world impact. The tone was empathetic and practical, stressing the importance of early detection and men's health awareness.
- “It didn't feel it felt very strange it took me back to to where I was when I got diagnosed and kind of the the sense of disbelief that he had with a doctor it it felt like it mirrored my experience a lot”
- “So it's it's one of those things I think when you think about awareness there's a study in the US it says the mortality rate is 19 percent higher in men than compared to women so you have to question why that is”
- “And that's why something like Corrie's so important isn't it because it broadens that discussion”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.