Emma Barnett reveals hysterectomy for endometriosis and return to Today
Emma Barnett, the presenter of BBC Radio 4's Today programme, has revealed that she underwent a hysterectomy to treat her endometriosis, a procedure she said she "never wanted to have." The 41-year-old broadcaster disclosed the surgery in a Substack post published on Tuesday, just before her return to the flagship radio programme on Wednesday.
Barnett, who is Jewish, said her symptoms became "a lot worse" during the final two weeks of filming her BBC documentary Fighting Endometriosis. The programme aired on BBC Two in June, and Barnett said she ended up in hospital on the night of the broadcast, connected to drips and unable to watch more than the final 10 minutes. Her surgery took place just two days before the documentary aired, and she described it as "extensive," including a hysterectomy and gallbladder removal.
In her Substack post, Barnett wrote: "I felt blindsided and robbed, even though my care had been superb and doctors, utterly brilliant. But this was not the road I had envisioned for myself. I had the hysterectomy I never wanted to have." She explained that she did not want the procedure because it is "major surgery," "frightening," and involves a "hard recovery." She also noted that she had hoped for medicine or alternative treatment, saying, "It felt and feels too extreme."
Barnett said that before agreeing to surgery, her symptoms became so severe that she could "barely function at home or in work." She acknowledged the consent process, writing: "Is such major surgery what anyone would 'choose'? Yes, I officially and legally consented to the procedures – in so much as you can know what you are letting yourself in for."
Reflecting on her decision, Barnett said she does not "buy into the idea that the womb is sacred and at the heart of being a woman. I am still very much a woman and me." She expressed gratitude to her womb for helping her have two children, while acknowledging that "having your womb removed without having children if you wanted them is a totally different situation – one I must acknowledge."
Barnett, who is mother to a son born in 2018 and a daughter born in 2023 with her husband Jeremy Veil, said she is now recovering and feeling "physically much stronger" after weeks of being bedbound. She wrote: "Early indications are that the pain is very much improved – although I am still healing from the surgery itself, so that also feels uncertain and frightening to admit – even to myself." She added: "I think I will end up being grateful for a surgery I never wanted to have."
Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows elsewhere in the body, often around the womb, fallopian tubes, ovaries, and pelvis, and sometimes affecting the bladder or bowel. Symptoms include period pain, lower stomach or pelvic pain, extreme tiredness, and pain or bleeding in other areas. There is currently no known cure; treatment aims to manage symptoms such as pain, and surgery is an option when other treatments have failed or when the condition affects fertility.
Barnett's return to the Today programme marks a significant step after a challenging period, and her public disclosure has highlighted the realities of living with a condition that affects many women.