George Alagiah is set to take a break from presenting duties after revealing that his cancer has spread further.
The BBC News At Six star, 66, was first diagnosed with Stage 4 bowel cancer in 2014. He underwent 17 rounds of chemotherapy after his initial diagnosis but the cancer sadly returned in 2018, and in June 2020 George announced that it had spread to his lungs, liver and lymph nodes.
The newsreader said last month that he had a “tumour site” at the base of his back, adding that he had spent the past 18 months in “extreme pain”. George previously took a step back from work in October last year as he underwent treatment, before returning to the News At Six in April, The Mirror reports .
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George’s agent Mary Greenham issued the following message on the presenter’s behalf: “A recent scan showed that my cancer has spread further so it's back to some tough stuff. I'm missing my colleagues.
“Working in the newsroom has been such an important part of keeping energised and motivated. I look forward to being back in that studio as soon as I can.”
George has previously spoken about how his role at the BBC has helped him throughout his ordeal. “By the time I walk out of that newsroom at seven o’clock in the evening, having been there since the morning, I am absolutely knackered physically – but mentally I am rejuvenated,” he said.
At the start of this year, George admitted that he believes the cancer will “probably get me in the end”, but added that he still feels “very lucky” at the “great good fortune” in his life. George has two sons with wife Frances, whom he met at Durham University.
Speaking to the Desperately Seeking Wisdom podcast, George said: “When I look back and I look at my journey... the family I had, the opportunities my family had, the great good fortune to bump into Frances, who's now been my wife and lover for all these years, the kids that we brought up... it didn't feel like a failure.”
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