Theo Burrell, an expert on the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, has died at 39, four years after doctors diagnosed her with brain cancer. A statement on her Instagram account said she died peacefully on Wednesday, surrounded by her family.
“She was an incredible person who fought hard for her family, friends and raising awareness of this cruel disease,” the statement said. “She saw life events like her son’s first day at school and her wedding that a little over four years ago we thought she’d never see.”
Diagnosis
Burrell, from East Lothian, was diagnosed in June 2022 with glioblastoma, a highly aggressive brain tumour that typically carries a life expectancy of 12 to 18 months. She was 35. She later described five or six months of worsening symptoms: headaches, sickness, vision problems, “very, very pressurised pains in my head” and migraines.
“It wasn’t until I went to A&E at the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh that I was given the diagnosis,” she said. “I had absolutely no idea it was coming, it was a huge shock.”
Treatment included life-extending surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. She spoke openly about “dark thoughts” and her fear that she “wouldn’t see my son’s second birthday.” In a recent Instagram post she wrote: “But I’m lucky enough to say I did! And no-one can take that away from me.” Earlier this year she married her husband Alex.
Work and advocacy
Burrell was a ceramics and glass specialist with Lyon & Turnbull auctioneers in Edinburgh. She joined Antiques Roadshow in 2018 as one of the experts who appraise objects brought in by the public.
She also campaigned on glioblastoma, pressing for government funding, faster diagnosis and more clinical trials. Glioblastoma is incurable, and there has been no advance in treatments for two decades. About 3,200 people a year are diagnosed with it in the UK, and around 160 of them live for five years or more.
In 2023 she became a patron of Brain Tumour Research. Its chief executive, Dan Knowles, said the charity was “heartbroken” to lose “the phenomenal, determined and truly inspiring Theo Burrell.” He said she was open about her prognosis and knew from the start that her cancer was terminal, “but she was absolutely determined to make a difference for others.” The charity will continue its mission, Knowles said, “driven by everything she taught us.”
Burrell’s family said the cancer community gave her comfort and strength in her darkest moments, and, most of all, hope. “I think what she would want most of all is for other people to find hope in her story,” their statement said.
