‘Inside Edition’ Host Deborah Norville to Undergo Cancer Surgery After Viewer Raised Concern About Lump

Longtime Inside Edition host Deborah Norville announced she will undergo surgery Tuesday to remove a cancerous thyroid nodule after an eagle-eyed viewer noticed a lump on her neck.

“We live in a world of see something, say something, and I’m really glad we do,” Norville, 60, said in a video announcement posted on the show’s official YouTube account Monday.

“When you work on television, viewers comment on everything. Your hair, your makeup, the dress you’re wearing. And a long time ago an Inside Edition viewer reached out to say she’d seen something on my neck. It was a lump,” she continued. “She said, ‘You need to get it checked out.’”

Although doctors initially deemed the thyroid nodule benign, she said the lump eventually grew cancerous over the years and that she will undergo surgery to remove it. In the meantime, Inside Edition correspondent and weekend anchor Diane McInerney will take Norville’s place while she recovers.

“For years, it was nothing. Until recently, it was something,” she said. “The doctor says it’s a very localized form of cancer, which tomorrow, I’ll have surgery to have removed. There will be no chemo, I’m told no radiation; but I will have surgery and I’ll be away for a bit, so Diane (McInerney) will be holding down the fort.”

She asked for prayers for herself and for her surgeon ahead of the procedure, and encouraged viewers to “tune in to ‘Inside Edition’ every day” despite her absence.

“I thank you very much. I’ll be away for a bit … until then, thanks for watching,” she added.

Fans shared well wishes for Norville on social media after Inside Edition’s official Facebook page also shared a link to the video.

“May God guide the hands of the Surgeon, May you have a speedy recovery. Amen!” one Facebook user commented.

“I’m so glad someone spoke up and you’re getting this taken care of!” another wrote.

“Sending you prayers, love and positive vibes,” someone else said.

Tuesday morning, Norville wrote on Instagram that she was “overwhelmed by the kindness and good wishes” following her announcement.

“As you may have heard, today I will have surgery to remove a cancerous nodule from my thyroid. I am overwhelmed by the kindness and good wishes that have come my way!! The world IS filled with kind people. Thank you all! #grateful,” she wrote on Instagram.

Thyroid nodules are solid or fluid-filled lumps in the thyroid gland that the majority of the time doctors cannot feel on patients. Most lumps are benign, but about two in 20 become cancerous, according to the American Cancer Society.