Lancashire nose man ‘too scary for telly’ (From Chorley Citizen)

Lancashire nose man ‘too scary for telly’

10:30am Thursday 30th August 2012 in Chorley By Jessica Cree, Education reporter

A GRANDAD whose nose was removed after he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer has been told he cannot appear on a chat show until September in case he scares children.

Bert Eastham, of Chorley, has a prosthetic nose after undergoing surgery and was hoping to tell his story on the ITV1’s This Morning.

But family members, who took to a social networking site to voice their views, said Bert’s story was being pushed back so that children on their school holidays would not be frightened.

The row sparked a Twitter response from the programme’s host Phillip Schofield, who said this was not the first time something like this had happened. Bert’s daughter-in-law Michelle, who lives in Bannerman Terrace, wrote to the show on Facebook .

She said: “After a hard three years of avoiding people and hiding behind closed doors, he now has a prosthetic nose and has undergone several operations which has given him confidence to be able share his story to support others.

“Children should have the opportunity to see and hear real life stories as it gives them a better understanding of facial disfigurements and disabilities.

“He has shown great strength and courage throughout the last three years and the producers’ decision to me is as bad as the cruel jibes and proves the ignorance of this world.”

The comment has received more than 103,000 likes since it was posted on Sunday evening.

Presenter Phillip Schofield was made aware of the story on Twitter and wrote: “Not the first time the This Morning lawyers have taken that position. “I tried and failed to overturn their decision last time.”

A spokesman for This Morning said: “Bert Eastman’s appearance on This Morning was never cancelled. It was, and remains, a story we welcome on the show.

“We have been in touch with Bert who is looking forward to being on the sofa when our new series returns next month.”