Chris Hoy's wife also diagnosed with incurable disease as Olympian is given 2-4 years to live
Olympian Chris Hoy has bravely shared his battle with terminal cancer, telling fans he has between two and four years to live
In a shocking revelation, Sir Chris Hoy, the six-time Olympic gold medalist, has announced that his previously disclosed cancer diagnosis is terminal.
The sporting legend, who initially believed a shoulder pain was due to a gym injury, was told he had stage 4 prostate cancer which had spread to form tumours in his shoulder, pelvis, hip, spine and ribs.
"And just like that, I learn how I will die," Chris writes in his explosive new book.
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In a heartbreaking twist, Chris also revealed that his wife Sarra has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of Multiple Sclerosis, dealing a devastating double blow to the family, reports the Mirror.
After experiencing a tingling sensation in her face and tongue, Sarra underwent a scan. Although she received her results in November, she didn't disclose to Chris until December that it could be MS.
In an excerpt from his new book All That Matters, shared with The Times this weekend, Chris reveals: "It was. Another scan just before Christmas confirmed that Sarra had 'very active and aggressive' MS and needed urgent treatment."
Chris, from Clitheroe, shared his disbelief at being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. "It's the closest I've come to, like, you know, why me? Just, what? What's going on here? It didn't seem real. It was such a huge blow, when you're already reeling. You think nothing could possibly get worse. You literally feel like you're at rock bottom, and you find out, oh no, you've got further to fall. It was brutal," he saiD.
His wife Sarra had to choose between more potentially effective but riskier new treatments and low-risk but less effective options for her own illness, and they opted for the latter. On her worst days, Sarra struggles with simple tasks like putting a key in the door, but she remains positive about their situation.
"She says all the time, 'How lucky are we? We both have incurable illnesses for which there is some treatment. Not every disease has that. It could be a lot worse.'" Unlike Chris' illness, where they decided to tell their children directly about the cancer, their daughter and son are unaware of Sarra's MS. "I never want to lie to them. But there are certain things you don't need to tell them straight away," Chris explained.
Sarra, 40, who used to work as a senior lawyer before they had their two children, Callum, nine, and Chloe, six, married Chris in Edinburgh in 2010. The former track cyclist also revealed that many of their friends are still unaware of Sarra's diagnosis, but he is ready to discuss it now that his tell-all book has been made public this weekend.
The star revealed his strategy for dealing with the news, stating he would put his phone away until he was ready to speak. Chris' shocking revelation comes after he first disclosed his cancer diagnosis back in February.
He has now admitted that he felt 'forced' to do so after learning someone planned to leak the news before him. While Chris had previously shared his cancer diagnosis, he hadn't disclosed that it was terminal until now.
Back then, Hoy stated he was "going really well" and was "optimistic, positive and surrounded by love for which I'm truly grateful" following his 2023 diagnosis. The last time viewers saw Chris on screen was as a pundit for the BBC during the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Throughout his illustrious career on the track, he bagged six Olympic gold medals, 11 world championships and 34 World Cup titles before retiring from competitive racing in 2013. Only his former team-mate Sir Jason Kenny has won more Olympic golds for Great Britain.
Edinburgh-born Chris took up cycling at 14 and clinched his first Olympic medal, a team sprint silver, at Sydney in 2000. He followed this up with a gold in the 1km track time trial at Athens in 2004, three more golds at Beijing in 2008, and two at London 2012.
Chris was knighted in the 2008 New Year Honours List following his success at the Beijing Olympics.
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