John Diamond (journalist)

John Diamond (10 May, 1953 - 2 March, 2001) was a British broadcaster and journalist.

Education and training

Diamond trained as an English teacher at Trent Park College of Education, now part of Middlesex University. Later he taught at an all-girls school before switching to journalism.

Journalism

He wrote a regular column for the Saturday edition of "The Times" from 1992 onwards called "Something for the Weekend", and worked as a presenter on BBC radio and television. He met his second wife, celebrity cook and journalist Nigella Lawson, when they were both writing for "The Sunday Times". They married in Venice in 1992.

Illness, awards, and death

In 1997, Diamond was diagnosed with throat cancer. He wrote about his experiences with cancer in his newspaper column, for which he won the prestigious What The Papers Say award. In 1999 he was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize for his book "C: Because Cowards Get Cancer Too...". A BBC documentary was filmed for "Inside Story" which followed him through various treatments, and showed his frustration with his speech difficulties following throat, and later tongue, surgery.

"C: Because Cowards Get Cancer Too..." was adapted into a play by Victoria Coren called "A Lump In My Throat", which was itself later adapted for television. Diamond's second book, "Snake Oil and Other Preoccupations", was edited by his brother-in-law Dominic Lawson, editor of the "Sunday Telegraph", and published posthumously. It contained the six chapters of his "uncomplimentary look at the world of complementary medicine" which he had completed before his death, and some of his columns from "The Times" and the "Jewish Chronicle".

Diamond was the recipient of the "HealthWatch Award" for 2000. [http://www.healthwatch-uk.org/awardwinners/johndiamond.html The HealthWatch Award 2000: John Diamond] - HealthWatch. Includes his full presentation, in which he tells about his encounter with a believer in alternative medicine.]

Bandolier reviewed and recommended his book "C: Because Cowards Get Cancer Too..." [http://www.medicine.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/band71/b71-11.html Book Reviews: John Diamond's C and ....] - Bandolier]

Diamond died aged 47, leaving his wife Nigella Lawson and their two children, Cosima and Bruno. On 3 September, 2002, his widow opened the John Diamond Voice Laboratory at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, where Diamond had been treated.

Bibliography

* John Diamond, "C: Because Cowards Get Cancer Too...", Vermilion, 1999 (ISBN 0-09-181665-3)
* John Diamond, Richard Dawkins (Foreword), Dominic Lawson (Editor), "Snake Oil and Other Preoccupations", Vintage, 2001 (ISBN 0-09-942833-4).

References

External links

* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,3604,445498,00.html "Obituary: John Diamond"] from "The Guardian"
* [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,6903,445951,00.html "The Diamond geezer"] by Victoria Coren in "The Observer"
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1198541.stm "John Diamond in his own words"] from BBC News online
* [http://www.oralcancerfoundation.org/people/john_diamond.htm "John Diamond - Oral Cancer Foundation"]