Taskmaster star Fatiha El-Ghorri opens up about cancer treatment

Comedian and Taskmaster star Fatiha El-Ghorri has shared that she was diagnosed with endometrial cancer last year.

In a lengthy text post shared to Instagram on Monday (16 February), El-Ghorri, 44, revealed that she had undergone a hysterectomy to remove the cancer. The message prompted an outpouring of support from fans and fellow comedians, including Katherine Ryan and Sarah Millican.

El-Ghorri, who appeared on the 19th series of Taskmaster in 2025, wrote that she’d been waiting to go on stage in February 2025 when she was told that a transvaginal scan had revealed an abnormality on her womb.

Following more tests, doctors told El-Ghorri that she likely had cancer and should undergo a precautionary hysterectomy. She had the surgery to remove her womb, along with her ovaries, in May 2025, putting her into forced or medical menopause.

In June 2025, doctors confirmed that she had Stage 1 endometrial cancer, but would not need to have chemotherapy or further treatment as the cancer had not spread and been removed with her womb.

However, she wrote that “the toughest and most painful part of all of this [has been] the menopause”, and that she was “going out of my mind” while waiting to get an appointment at the NHS menopause clinic. In the end, she ended up getting it covered privately.

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“I was crying every day. I was depressed and sad. I felt lost. I felt stuck in my mind and body. There was no help for me,” she wrote, explaining that her cancer meant she wasn’t able to have HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy).

El-Ghorri said that she was now “doing much better” and “healing physically and hormonally”. She chose to share her story now, she explained, because “menopause ain’t a joke”.

“It changes your life forever, physically, mentally and hormonally,” she said. “Looking back at it now, being working class I have this mantra of can’t stop won’t stop, must keep working, must keep striving because I don’t have a back-up plan, a safety net… I think this is why I was ashamed because I had to become weak and had to rely on others for help which is something I never do.”

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Her post was flooded with comments from other comedians offering their love and support to El-Ghorri.

“LOVE YOU SO MUCH and omg a massive tour coming up with all of this going on so recently. This will help so many & I admire you more than ever (which was a lot to begin with),” wrote Katherine Ryan.

Ghosts star Mathew Baynton, who appeared on El-Ghorri’s series of challenge show Taskmaster, commented: “I’m so sorry you had to go through this. I’m in awe of your strength (I already was). Sharing this will help loads of people. All the love in the world to you.”

“So much love and strength to you. Thank you for sharing this,” said Sarah Millican.