Fans in Canada and the United States who follow his shows on BBC Radio 2 have learned that the 62‑year‑old DJ is recovering from a brain tumour.
Trevor Nelson has revealed he is recovering from a brain tumour.
The 62‑year‑old revealed in June that he was taking a break from his BBC radio duties for medical reasons.
He usually presents weekdays 2 to 4pm on Radio 2, and BBC Radio 1Xtra each Sunday from 11am to 1pm.
Nelson has now explained that his hiatus was due to the tumour, which "turned his world upside‑down".
"A lot of you may have seen the post that I put up at the start of summer, saying that I was stepping back from all my work commitments due to illness," he told fans in a video on Instagram on Thursday.
"There's been a lot of speculation as to what's wrong with me, I know that much. My phone's blown up 20 times over with people asking what's wrong with me."
He added: "Due to the love and the positive vibes, thousands of you have been sending me, I felt that I should at least tell you what is wrong with me and what happened to me."
Nelson said he didn't want to share all the details now, but might "deep dive" into it later so fans could hear the "whole crazy story".
"I'll tell you this, I was minding my own business and then it was discovered that I had a brain tumour," he recalled. "As you can imagine, my world was turned upside down."
The broadcaster said his head was "quite literally all over the place", but he knew he had to take a break from work.
Nelson confirmed he had "very serious surgery" that went well and has been spending the last month recovering and getting post‑operation treatment.
He captioned the clip: "I'm feeling good. I will be back to work very soon. To radio first and later to my DJ gigs. Thank you for all your messages, your love and your support."
"I feel great right now, I feel ready to come back. I feel energised and almost back to myself," he added.
"I've had a really serious situation but I've come out the other side and I feel great. I feel raring to go. I feel in good health."
Support from colleagues and awards
Nelson's colleagues offered their support at the time, with Melvin Odoom writing, "Sending love and positive vibes Trev," and Anita Rani posting: "Sending love. Rest and heal Trevor. X."
Earlier that week Nelson was at the Television and Radio Industries Club (TRIC) Awards, where he won the Judge's Special Recognition Award.
In February, Nelson celebrated 30 years at the BBC, including on 1 Xtra, where he has championed R&B music in the UK.
A slew of celebrities congratulated the DJ on the milestone moment, including Alicia Keys, Lemar, Eve, Jessie J, Nile Rodgers, Craig David, Sade, Jessie Ware and Stephen Graham, with Sir Lenny Henry performing Happy Birthday as part of the celebrations.
His influence on R&B has resonated across the Atlantic, shaping playlists that many Canadian and American stations still draw from.