Prominent psychologist Nigel Latta has revealed he has terminal cancer, with an initial diagnosis from his doctors of 6 to 12 months to live.

Latta, a mainstay of New Zealand television and a popular author, published a video of himself talking about his diagnosis on social media this evening.

The 57-year-old said he went to his GP complaining about feeling full after eating very little and a “really uncomfortable sort of full feeling at the back of my throat”.

Latta’s GP sent him to a gastroenterologist, where he was given an endoscopy [a tube down his throat].

“And a nurse came in and she said, ‘right, your specialist will be in with you in a moment to discuss the results and your emergency MRI is booked for this afternoon’.

“The second bit made me think - ‘hold on, back up the truck a little, why the emergency MRI?’ Because those are never good.

“The specialist came in and she said there was a large mass that looked like a tumour at the bottom of my stomach. She said it was probably cancer.

“That was not a great moment.”

Latta said the specialist had given him between six and 12 months to live. The cancer was both inoperable and incurable, he said.

“I said [to the specialist], ‘just give me a number, how long’. That’s what you want to know. He didn’t want to give us a number. I said, ‘look, based on what you’ve got in front of you, how long?

“He said six to 12 months.

“I remember standing outside after he told me this thing, and not knowing what to do or where to go. I remember standing there and being utterly paralyzed.

“It felt too hard to go home and be with the kids, so that night we went to a hotel and I ate lots of ice cream and cried.

Latta said he had been told it was incurable and inoperable, giving him less than a year to live.

“People talk about trauma. I’ve been through some pretty traumatic things. That was probably the most traumatic thing I’ve ever been through.”

Dealing With The Diagnosis

Latta shared the news in a video posted to Facebook on Thursday, where he spoke about how he was feeling after his diagnosis. He said he was struggling to think about leaving his wife, Natalie Flynn, alone. “She is the center of my world,” he said, in a heartfelt message to his wife.

Latta has been undergoing chemotherapy since his diagnosis, and he said he has had other scans since receiving his diagnosis. He explained that lymph node activity previously detected had cleared and the tumour in his stomach had shrunk. He said that the treatment had seen his tumor shrink by about 60 percent.

Hope For The Future

Latta said that despite the difficult news, he was determined to focus on the positive. He has started a new three-month round of chemotherapy on Friday, and he said he was hopeful about the future.

“First thing, we don’t choose the things that happen to us, but we can choose how we respond. Second thing, focus on the things you can control,” he said, offering advice to others facing a similar experience.

Latta's Legacy

Latta is known for presenting the true crime series Beyond the Darklands and the Politically Incorrect parenting shows, as well as his books on the same topics. Most recently, he presented the TVNZ show You've Been Scammed.

Latta has had a significant impact on New Zealand television and culture, and his diagnosis has been met with shock and sadness from fans and colleagues alike.

He has inspired many with his work, particularly on child development and parenting. His shows, which have been praised for their honesty and humor, have helped many New Zealanders to better understand their children and themselves. He is also well-known for his work on true crime, helping to shed light on some of the country's most heinous crimes.

Latta’s work will continue to be a source of comfort and inspiration for many, even after his departure. He has a lasting legacy of promoting understanding and empathy, and he will be dearly missed.