TV chef who was heading for a Michelin star reveals he only has 12 months to live because the cancer that stole his sense of taste has returned
- Tim Bilton was at the height of his career when first diagnosed with skin cancer
- The chef, 47, who appeared on BBC’s Great British Menu, fought it a second time
- Yorkshireman then found incurable stage four cancer in his leg in December
An award-winning TV chef who was heading for his first Michelin star when cancer cruelly robbed him of his sense of taste, has revealed he only has 12 months to live as the disease has returned.
Tim Bilton, 47, of Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, was first diagnosed with melanoma, a type of skin cancer, in his eye in March 2013.
The chef was at the height of his career – planning to open his second restaurant and appearing on shows including the BBC’s Great British Menu.
Supported by his farm manager wife-of-13-years Adele, 37, and their children Henry, 13, and Charlie, seven, Tim fought it a second time when the melanoma returned in 2015, with treatment cruelly robbing him of his sense of taste.
After being in the clear for nearly three years, Tim felt confident he had beaten the disease – only to discover stage four cancer in his left leg and kidney in December.
Tim Bilton (pictured left, with his wife Adele, and right, with their two children, Henry, 13, and Charlie, seven), 47, of Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, was first diagnosed with melanoma, a type of skin cancer, in his eye in March 2013
Tim Bilton (pictured left, with his wife Adele, and right, with their two children, Henry, 13, and Charlie, seven), 47, of Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, was first diagnosed with melanoma, a type of skin cancer, in his eye in March 2013
Despite the cancer being incurable and Tim, who has regained 80 per cent of his taste, having to give up his restaurants, he continues to work as a chef.
Adele, who was the first to spot an unusual red blister on the white of her husband’s eye, said: ‘I’d noticed it had grown bigger, but Tim didn’t actually go to the doctor for that.
‘He went about four weeks later after pulling his back and asked them to take a look at it,’ she explained.
‘Within hours I’d had a call from the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield saying he needed to go to their eye unit immediately.
‘We were in a huge panic. Everything was a bit of a whirlwind, because at that stage we were also in the process of opening a new fine dining restaurant in Hepworth.
Tim (pictured following an operation to remove the second tumour on the left side of his face) fought the disease a second time when the melanoma returned in 2015
‘He had a biopsy and within days he had the cancer diagnosis. He had a tumour which was diagnosed as melanoma on the white of his eye.’
The news was a terrible blow for the chef, who was flying high – having sold his house in 2007 to buy The Butcher’s Arms in Hepworth, which he had transformed into an award-winning restaurant,
Tim said: ‘Surgeons removed the tumour and 30 to 40 per cent of the white of my eye, which they then re-stitched with a baby’s placenta.
‘I’d always thought cancer wouldn’t happen to me so my attitude was that they’d removed the tumour and I’d carry on as normal. The next day I was back to getting the restaurant ready.’
The chef (pictured with his sons) was at the height of his career – planning to open his second restaurant and appearing on shows including the BBC’s Great British Menu
But after being in the clear for nearly three years, Tim (pictured with his family) felt confident he had beaten the disease – only to discover stage four cancer in his left leg and kidney in December
Refusing to curb his ambition, Tim opened a new venture, The Spiced Pear, also in Hepworth, in June 2013.
Tim started working in kitchens washing up when he was just 13, before spending two years working under celebrity chef Raymond Blanc, travelling across France and Italy honing his skills.
By the time his melanoma was first discovered, Tim was excelling professionally with two appearances on the BBC’s Great British Menu under his belt and a Michelin star – seen as the greatest fine dining accolade – within his grasp.
But 18 months after his initial diagnosis he found a hard lump on the left side of his face and his consultant at Sheffield’s Royal Hallamshire Hospital confirmed in August 2015 that the melanoma had returned.
The chef underwent an eight hour operation to remove the lump, half his saliva glands and some lymph nodes.
Under the care of Weston Park Hospital in Sheffield, Tim (pictured left following the first operation on his eye) is now receiving dual immunotherapy treatment (pictured right)
Tim having immunotherapy treatment – this activates the immune system to attack the cancer cells, but can only prolong his life and not offer a cure and has led to inflammation of the liver
Tim, who had the left side of his face stapled up afterwards, said: ‘There’s no other way to describe it – I looked like the elephant man.’
Six gruelling weeks of intense radiotherapy followed, with him having to travel for two hours every day for treatment, while Adele tried to keep the restaurants ticking over.
‘It was like putting my head into a microwave. The first couple of weeks were okay but between week three and seven it was horrendous,’ Tim recalled.
‘My mouth was covered in ulcers. I couldn’t swallow. Speaking became impossible. Imagine how hard it is to eat with one ulcer and times that by a thousand. They were spreading down my throat.
‘I lost 100 per cent of my taste. Everything I tried had the taste and texture of cardboard.
Tim with his two children, Henry and Charlie. The two youngsters have been told about the prognosis by their parents
‘It’s like being a carpenter, wood is your tool, and for me being a chef my mouth is my tool, so not being able to use it was absolutely devastating.’
Normally weighing 15 stone, within six weeks of surgery Tim’s weight had dropped to nine stone and, after losing his hair because of radiotherapy, he was unrecognisable.
Unable to eat and struggling to get out of bed some days, he relied on high calorie supplements from the hospital for nutrition, but became extremely dehydrated, so doctors threatened him with a feeding tube.
He continued: ‘I thought, “I’m a chef and that’s not going to happen”. I knew I had to do something and I thought about how much I had to live for – my beautiful wife and children – and that made me more determined. I’d been given a second chance.
‘I was eating pureed food and slowly introducing lumps. It took four months from my operation to being able to eat properly.
‘It was very hard, because we had The Spiced Bear and a Michelin star was my ultimate goal, but I knew I had to concentrate on myself and my health. Knowing I might not taste again and being so close to achieving so much was very tough.’
Tim, pictured right, undergoing an MRI in 2015, and left, Tim with the mask used for the radiotherapy
Gradually, Tim’s sense of taste came back, with the turning point being a holiday in Padstow, Cornwall, when he ate scallops with lime, chilli and coriander at the Prawn on the Lawn restaurant.
Tim said: ‘It was the first time my taste returned, when I tasted lime and coriander. I actually started crying. I couldn’t believe it. It was an emotional moment and a turning point.’
Having sold his first restaurant in 2013 to concentrate on The Spiced Pear Tim then took the decision to sell up again in June 2016 to concentrate on his health.
Tim spent a few months recovering from the physical and emotional impact of the radiotherapy.
Then in July 2016, determined to continue in the profession he loved, he was offered a job at a local tourist attraction, Cannon Hall Farm near Barnsley, where he still works today.
Adele said: ‘Tim’s life had changed and he was no longer in the big chef world, but he was really happy and just wanted me and the boys to be okay.
Tim having immunotherapy treatment. He has been overwhelmed by his family and friends’ support – having received well wishes from celebrity chefs, too, including Raymond Blanc and Tom Kerridge
‘He was cancer free and was returning to the hospital for check ups every six months, with everything looking fine.
‘But it was Christmas last year that he started to get a pain in his knee which he put down to an old footballing injury.
‘It got worse and in January he went to his GP who sent him for some scans. We had no idea it would be linked to cancer.’
Tim recalled being phoned by his doctor, who told him there was a tumour in his left knee, running down his leg. He said: ‘It was like a steam train had come and knocked me sideways.’
A further biopsy at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham in April confirmed the original melanoma had spread to the bones in his legs and later his kidney. At stage four, it was incurable.
Under the care of Weston Park Hospital in Sheffield, Tim is now receiving dual immunotherapy treatment.
Tim shaved his head after his hair started to fall out following treatment in 2015 after the melanoma returned a second time
This activates the immune system to attack the cancer cells, but this can only prolong his life and not offer a cure and has led to inflammation of the liver.
Adele said: ‘It was completely heart-breaking news. This cancer is such an aggressive thing and moves so quickly.
‘Tim’s reaction was, “Cut off my leg”, but by the time they’d done that, it could have spread somewhere else.
‘We don’t know if the immunotherapy will work, but without it he was given 12 months.’
While they have been honest with their children about the prognosis, Tim said they are now trying to live as normally as possible.
He said: ‘You can do what you want in our house but there’s one rule we live by and that is we don’t lie to each other.
‘We’ve been completely open and honest with the boys. They know their dad will be fighting this until his last breath.
Tim has a wishlist, which includes taking Adele and their boys (pictured together) to New York
‘We’re being as normal as possible. I’m not sitting in a rocking chair at home saying, “Why me?”, I’m still going to work and taking the boys to football and cricket.’
In the meantime, Tim has a wishlist, which includes taking Adele and their boys to New York, where they celebrated their honeymoon, and seeing his sons lead his beloved Leeds United on the pitch as mascots.
Tim has been overwhelmed by his family and friends’ support – having received well wishes from celebrity chefs, too, including Raymond Blanc and Tom Kerridge.
Having hidden away during his second diagnosis, he has also set up a blog to update people on his progress, stressing the importance of talking.
He said: ‘The blog allows me to update everyone on what’s happening and I’ve actually found it very therapeutic.
‘I always wanted to help other men and let them know it’s okay to speak out. Now people are not phoning us asking for updates, they can just read that.
‘People won’t come and ask how I am now but will come up and give me a cuddle.’
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