Chris and Sarra Hoy are both facing health issues (Image: Getty Images)
In an emotional solo TV appearance, , the wife of cycling legend , has bravely spoken out about their personal health battles. The couple faced a harrowing time when 48 year old Sir Chris disclosed his terminal prostate cancer diagnosis last year, followed by Lady Sarra’s own diagnosis with .
During an interview on , Lady Sarra opened up about the immense challenges they encountered after finding out about their illnesses and the strength they’ve had to find for the sake of their children, Chloe, aged seven, and ten year old Callum. Describing the devastating impact of their diagnoses, she told Lorraine: “You just don’t sleep, everything is awful.
Lorraine Kelly talks to Sarra Hoy (Image: ITV)
She added: “It was about trying to control what I could, and I just thought, I can’t do anything about cancer, I can’t do anything about MS [Multiple Sclerosis], I can’t control any of that. What can I do? What can I help? What can I change?”
Lady Sarra also discussed the resilience required to cope with such adversity. “When everything is spiralling just to stop and say, ‘right now, we’re safe, the children are safe, this can’t define us. We will not become the victims of this,'” she stated, reports .
Furthermore, Lady Sarra gave a heartfelt account of parenting through these tough times, telling Lorraine Kelly, “With kids you don’t get a chance, there’s no time to stop and have a day in bed, you just don’t get that opportunity. So yes, the children are everything for us and our family that surrounds us are everything.”
Lady Sarra spoke candidly about her coping strategies and desire for control, saying: “It’s been okay and I think people are really surprised to know that you can sort of be okay, and I think that’s definitely what’s helped us get through.”
The conversation forms a key portion of Lorraine Kelly’s ITV programme during the March4March initiative, aimed at boosting morale among the one in four Britons who struggle with low spirits. The campaign emphasises the positive effects of physical activity on mental well-being.
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Lady Sarra opened up on her health battle with MS (Image: ITV)
Throughout March, viewers and celebrities alike will be motivated by Lorraine to commit to a target number of steps, aiming to reach a collective 3 million – the equivalent of walking the length of Britain. This moving interview is set to air on Monday morning as part of Lorraine’s highly-watched daytime series. It follows the surprising disclosure by Sir Chris concerning his health status to the athletic community.
In September 2023, he opened up about how life-shifting it was to receive his diagnosis, labelling it “completely out the blue” and marking it as “the toughest year of our lives so far by some stretch.” He explained there were “no symptoms, no warnings, nothing,” elaborating: “All I had was a pain in my shoulder and a little bit of pain in my ribs.”
After an initial scan revealed a tumour, a subsequent scan two days later pinpointed the primary cancer in his prostate, which had metastasised to his shoulder, pelvis, hip, ribs and spine and was delineated as stage 4. He disclosed his prognosis, suggesting a timeline of two to four years remaining.
Sir Chris Hoy has opened up about the harrowing time when he was hit with a life-changing diagnosis, recalling, “It was the biggest shock of my life. I remember the feeling of just absolute horror and shock,” as he struggled to come to terms with the news last year. He described his state of disbelief: “I just basically walked back in a daze. 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?’.”
The situation took an even darker turn when his wife Sarra was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis three months later, a secret she initially kept only to herself. Sir Chris praised her resilience, saying, “The strength of Sarra is unbelievable, she kept it to herself,” and acknowledged how she supported him without showing her own struggle: “Throughout all of that she was there for me but didn’t at any point crack. And it was really only in December that she said ‘this is the news I’ve had’.”
Reflecting on the moment they both confronted their health challenges, Sir Chris shared, “That was the lowest point I think. That was the point where I suddenly thought ‘what is going on?’ I almost felt like saying OK stop, this is a dream, wake me up, this isn’t real, this is a nightmare. You were already on the canvas and I just felt this, another punch when you’re already down – it was like getting that kick on the floor.”
In a show of incredible determination, the six-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy is now taking part in a charity cycle ride called Tour de 4, sending a powerful message that life can still be lived to the fullest even with a Stage 4 cancer diagnosis.
Sir Chris Hoy is set to showcase his resilience at Glasgow’s Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome on September 7, where he commented: “It’s important to demonstrate it is possible to live well and lead a happy life alongside this devastating diagnosis.”
Following his own terminal prostate cancer revelation last year, Sir Chris’s efforts have sparked a surge in awareness, prompting more than 300,000 British men to seek prostate screenings.