Silent Witness creator says diagnosis of terminal illness has been ‘a shock’

Speaking about his diagnosis, McCrery told Saturday Live: “I used to cry a lot, I used to sob a lot.”

Responding to this, host Nikki Bedi said: “You’re saying used to like it’s in the past, but it’s only three weeks.”

“I don’t know how long it’ll take me to get used to that,” responded McCrery.

“It’s not that I’m scared of dying, I’m actually not. I have wonderful granddaughters, and it’s missing them growing up. It’s the things I’ll be missing by not being around that I’ll find the hardest to cope with.”

McCrery – who has also written a number of fiction and non-fiction books, including the Silent Witness book series – said that the diagnosis is in the back of his mind “all the time”, and an emotional reaction can be set off by something like music.

“I don’t like crying in public, so I tend to get myself out of the way until it’s out of my system,” he said.

“And I’m hoping that as time goes on and the realisation becomes more real that I’ll calm down completely.

“I’m more scared of crying in front of my granddaughters, actually.”

During the interview, McCrery did not specify the nature of the illness.

He added: “You push, and you try and get this made and that made, but the bottom line is – the best bet is to be with your family.”