Sir Chris Hoy has revealed he was ‘in bad shape for a while’ but is now ‘feeling fit and strong’ after being diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer.
The six-time Olympic cycling champion was diagnosed last year and announced last month that the disease is terminal.
The 48-year-old has undergone chemotherapy and is prioritizing his time with his wife Sarra Kemp and their two children, Callum, nine, and Chloe, six.
Sir Chris said he has accepted that ‘none of us live forever’ and has since ‘found ways to be positive’.
‘A year later I really feel like I’ve made that progress. I’ve kind of gotten through the difficult six months,” he said on the Chris Evans Breakfast Show on Virgin Radio UK on Friday.
Sir Chris Hoy has revealed he was ‘in a bad way for a while’ but now feels ‘fit and strong’ after being diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer
The Olympic cycling champion was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer last year (photo while undergoing chemotherapy)
He spoke about his battle with cancer on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show
Sir Chris continued: ‘We’ve accepted what happened and we’ve moved on and it’s, you know, it’s a stage four diagnosis so it’s going to affect me for the rest of my life.
‘But you know what? None of us live forever. So you have to keep going and find ways to be positive, to hope, to have hope.
“I was in a bad place for a while, but with the support of Sarra, my wife and, you know, really good friends and family around me, you get through it and you can get through it.”
Sir Chris has been trying to raise awareness about the early detection of cancer and is urging fans to have a PSA test done by their GP.
The former cyclist said: ‘This is a purpose and a drive that I haven’t felt since I was aiming for Olympic gold.
‘You feel fortunate that you have had that one focus point in your life. Your only goal and you accept that in sport, it takes so long and that’s it, that’s your window and then the rest of your life.
“I wasn’t trying to chase that feeling, I accept that, nothing will be quite the same – but there are lots of exciting things to do in life and to pursue and roles to play.”
He added: “But this is like nothing else. It goes beyond the Olympics, that’s for sure. I feel fit and strong. I now have a whole new goal.
He praised his wife Sarra (pictured in 2022) for ‘supporting’ him and admitted he was ‘in bad shape for a while’
Sir Chris revealed in February that he was being treated for cancer and has since said the disease is now incurable and has spread to his bones, with tumors in his shoulder, pelvis, hip, spine and rib.
Earlier this month he appeared on BBC Breakfast News and shared his ‘absolute shock and horror’ when doctors told him the ‘nightmare’ diagnosis.
The athlete also discussed his wife Sarra having multiple sclerosis and how the couple broke the news to their young children.
Sir Chris said: ‘That was the first thought in my head. How on earth are we going to tell the kids? It’s just this absolute horror, it’s a waking nightmare, a living nightmare.
“We just tried to be positive and say, you know what, this is what we do and you can help, because if I’m not feeling well, you can come and hug me, you can be supportive, you can help me. You can be happy, you can be kind to each other.
‘I’m sure many families do it in different ways and I don’t think there is one right approach for anyone. There’s no one-size-fits-all, but for us I think this was the best way to do it.”
He recalled having “no symptoms” before his diagnosis
Recalling how he had had “no symptoms, no warning, nothing” before his diagnosis, he said, “It makes sense to me – why not get the test done a little earlier?”
“Catch it before you need major treatment, it seems like a no-brainer to me.”
‘Why not lower the age? [and] let more men just go in and get a blood test.”
Sir Chris added that chemotherapy was ‘one of the biggest challenges I have ever faced and experienced’ when he was ‘still reeling from the diagnosis’.
The Ny Breaking has relaunched our Endless Prostate Deaths campaign in a bid to improve the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer.
A recent NHS National Cancer Patient Experience Survey shows that men are being diagnosed too late and suffering preventable deaths because they have to fight to be taken seriously by doctors.
The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with The National Lottery airs on Virgin Radio UK