Sunrise's Edwina Bartholomew reveals her husband faced his own health battle amid her rare cancer diagnosis: 'He was so sick'

Edwina Bartholomew has shared the difficult period in which both she and her husband, Neil Varcoe, were battling health issues. 

The Sunrise star, 42, was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) – a type of blood and bone marrow cancer – in 2024. 

Her writer husband was at the same time struggling with chronic fatigue. 

The duelling diagnoses prompted a move to country NSW for the couple and their two children, Molly, 6, and Tom, 4, so they could have time to rest and recuperate away from the bustle of Sydney city. 

'The reality was that we were getting crushed in the city,' Edwina told the Australian Women's Weekly.

The television star explained that her husband, who she married in 2018, was 'done with the urban rat-race' and struggling to look after their young children. 

'He was so sick with chronic fatigue that parenting wasn't even possible,' she said. 

'It was the toughest time we have ever faced as a family. Something had to shift.' 

The move to the country meant that the family could heal as a unit, and although Edwina still commutes to Sydney to work on Sunrise, she now calls the 'tiny town of Carcoar', located in Central West NSW, home. 

'We didn't just come to the country to give our kids the best life possible, we wanted to do the same for ourselves,' she told Australian Women's Weekly. 

When it comes to her own health, Edwina explained that her chronic myeloid leukaemia, 'was in molecular remission'. 

'I am now happy to report it is completely out of my system,' she said, adding that her husband is also on the mend. 

'With constant diligence, Neil's chronic fatigue is all but cured. My own health battles are also behind us,' she added. 

In May, Edwina told TV Week that she's been incredibly fortunate and has responded well to her cancer treatment. 

'I just can't believe how lucky I've been, just unbelievably lucky,' she told the publication.

'I responded straightaway to the medication. I haven't had any side effects. I take it daily, and I will continue to do so for many years.'

Edwina also opened up about her diagnosis at Marie Claire's International Women's Day luncheon in Sydney.

'I was fortunate that I had a month where I knew about it before I told everyone. I had this experience without having to go through the trauma of chemotherapy,' Edwina began.

'[The cancer] was a gift, because it put things into perspective.'

Edwina's diagnosis is a 'mild' form of leukaemia and can often be managed without having to undergo chemotherapy and dealing with the disease's more severe symptoms.

Edwina first revealed she had cancer in September 2024 live on Sunrise. 

'I have been diagnosed with cancer. That's a shock and hard to say,' she told viewers.