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Sir Chris Hoy on heartbreaking moment he had to tell children about terminal cancer in first TV interview

"It was a waking nightmare," Chris said

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Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy revealed the heartbreaking moment he had to tell his young children that he had terminal cancer.

The 48-year-old former cyclist and racing driver announced that his prostate cancer was terminal two weeks ago. Chris has been given between two and four years to live. He was first diagnosed in September 2023.

In his first television interview since sharing the sad news, Chris opened up about having to tell his two young children. He shares a son, Callum, nine, and a daughter, Chloe, six, with wife Sarra Kemp, who he married in 2010.

Chris Hoy during his BBC interview
Chris has been given two to four years to live (Credit: BBC)

Chris Hoy cancer

In an interview with BBC Sport today (November 5), Chris revealed that telling his two children he has terminal cancer felt like an “absolute horror”. He stated it is a “waking nightmare, living nightmare”.

“We just tried to be positive and tried to say do you know what, this is what we’re doing and you can help because when I’m not feeling well, you can come and give me cuddles, you can be supportive, you can be happy, you can be kind to each other,” he said.

“I’m sure lots of families do it in different ways and I think there’s no one right approach for anyone. There’s no one-size-fits-all, but for us I think that was the best way to do it.”

Chris Hoy during his BBC interview
Chris’ cancer diagnosis came as a shock (Credit: BBC)

‘It’s been the toughest year of our lives so far by some stretch’

Following the tragic news, Chris said 2024 has been the “toughest year of our lives so far by some stretch”.

After being diagnosed in September last year, he revealed that it came “completely out the blue”.

Detailing that he had “no symptoms, no warnings, nothing,” all Chris had was “a pain in my shoulder and a little bit of pain in my ribs”.

After assuming he had tendonitis, a scan revealed a tumour. “I just basically walked back in a daze,” he said. “I couldn’t believe the news and I was just trying to process it, I don’t remember walking, I just remember sort of halfway home thinking ‘where am I?’ And then I was thinking ‘how am I going to tell Sarra? What am I going to say?’.”

Chris expressed the diagnosis was the “biggest shock of my life”.

Read more: Olympic legend Chris Hoy reveals his cancer is terminal as his wife diagnosed with MS

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Fabio Magnocavallo
Freelance Writer

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