BBC presenter George Alagiah has admitted that reading the news while he has cancer leaves him "absolutely knackered physically".. As a five-year-old, George Alagiah emigrated with his family to Ghana - the first African country to attain independence from the British Empire. Since 3 July 2006, he has presented World News Today on BBC World News and BBC Two, which was rebranded GMT on 1 February 2010. Being healthy, being content, being physically comfortable is as much about the mind as it is the body., He uses breathing techniques taught to him by his very clever and imaginative osteopath to calm his mind and deal with its reaction to the pain caused by the tumour next to his spine. the opportunities my family had, the . Furthermore, during the COVID-19 pandemic in mid-March 2020, Alagiah tested positive for COVID-19 and exhibited mild symptoms. My parents were unconventional for Tamil parents they married for love, educated all their children the same and gave us a lot of freedom but there was still that strain of traditionalism. BBC newsreader George Alagiah announced in October 2021 he is taking a break from presenting, after his cancer spread further.His wife Frances Robatha . "Illness sometimes teaches a person the real worth of life." '", I saved myself from Royal life, Harry says & insists 'sharing's an act of service', Love Island's Olivia Hawkins breaks silence as she returns to the UK, Loose Women star lined up to be Strictly's first contestant in wheelchair, Coronation Street fans horrified as Amy Barlow is raped in disturbing scenes, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. The BBC turned me down three times at the start of my career, and Im grateful. Both of them have comepleted their high school, whereas the elder son Adam is enrolled into international developement and the younger is busy on building his career as a writer. Alagiah revealed in June 2020 that his cancer had spread to his lungs, liver, and lymph nodes. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. They set various benchmarks and, one by one, had to let them go. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. BBC News BBC presenter George Alagiah will be taking a break from TV after discovering his cancer has spread further, his agent has said. In the 2008 New Year Honours, Alagiah was named Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). George Alagiah has confirmed he'll be back on BBC News tonight following months of cancer treatment. He was first diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in. The 66-year-old newsreader, who was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2014, announced he was taking a break from his presenting duties in October last year. Usually by about a week later it is beginning to be better.'. I've got the cancer still. BBC News At Six popular anchor George Alagiah has announced that he is taking a break from presenting the channel's evening news bulletin after discovering his cancer has spread further, his . But Ive got amazing colleagues at the BBC who step in to my place on the rota.. The latest breaking news, comment and features from The Independent. George Alagiah has revealed he has undergone more than 100 rounds of chemotherapy and has spent a lot of the past 18 months in 'extreme pain' as he shared an update on his stage four bowel. There is no joy sometimes without sadness and they feed off each other. He pauses, as if to ask himself if he is really going to say what he is about to say. Speaking on the podcast Desperately Seeking Wisdom he said that when his cancer was first diagnosed, it took a while for him to understand what he "needed to do". One of the things I want to do is hold hands with my wife until the end, and am I going to be able to do that? And my second sister married in a registry office. It is an . George, a specialist on Africa and the developing world, has conducted interviews with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, among others. And that becomes acute after three days of chemo. [16], He is married to Frances Robathan, whom he met at Durham University. On being diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in 2014, I constructed a pros and cons list of how my life had gone so far. British journalist and reader of BBC News at Six, George Alagiah has declared that he would be taking time off from his presenting duties after it was discovered through a scan that his bowel cancer has spread. Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty, Why Trudeau is facing calls for a public inquiry, The shocking legacy of the Dutch 'Hunger Winter'. ", "When the oncologist was looking at my scan, he kept gently shaking his head, and every time he did it was like a hammer blow. Since December 2007 George has presented BBC News at 6, Britain's most-watched news programme. He even manages to smile as he says it. When I called her, she was walking out of the Marsden [Londons leading cancer hospital], having had her own regular scan to see if the cancer was spreading. He is a member of the Royal Shakespeare Companys Board of Directors. Its still happening 28 years later. 3 January 2022 George Alagiah said his life and family "didn't feel like a failure" BBC newsreader George Alagiah has said he thinks the cancer he has had since 2014 will "probably get me. Sam Moore. The thing about bowel cancer is, it is all about poo and bums and people dont like talking about them. George Alagiah is taking a break from presenting the BBC's News At Six after saying scans showed his cancer has spread further.. No one uses the d-word. There was a work ethic about my mother, which I've also inherited. Right now, when there is an unpredictability about my treatment, I would definitely call them not dark moments but difficult moments, when it is harder to reach that position of contentment which is where I am most of the time. The most painful thoughts are those about his family. Speaking on the podcast with ex-Downing Street director of communications Craig Oliver, Alagiah said that when his cancer was first diagnosed, it took a while for him to understand what he "needed to do". Please review our, You need to be a subscriber to join the conversation. In 2004, he returned to his grandfather's original home in Sri Lanka in the aftermath of the Asian tsunami to survey the damage. The only time he even starts to look his age is when he puts on a striking pair of dark pink specs to work out how to turn off a message that keeps appearing on his computer screen. Trending :Joanna Gaines || Pat Sajak || Brandi Love || Kamala Harris || Elizabeth Warren ||. What financial arrangements? However, there are no details regardinng his wife. Both of which are significant. [18], On 17 April 2014, it was announced that Alagiah was being treated for colorectal cancer. Ive not had the anger but it takes quite a lot anyway to get me angry. Jamie Phillips For Mailonline, George Alagiah RETURNS to BBC's News At Six, six months after stepping back to undergo treatment for bowel cancer, 'Both inside and out, he was kind and generous - and had a wicked sense of humour': Stars pay tribute to 'brave' Bill Turnbull after 'talented' journalist died aged 66 following battle with prostate cancer. [6] His other documentaries and features include reports on why affirmative action in America is a 'Lost Cause', for the Assignment programme, Saddam Hussein's genocidal campaign against the Kurds of northern Iraq for the BBC's Newsnight programme and a report on the last reunion of the veterans of Dunkirk.[8]. Born in 1955, we will celebrate his 66th birthday on 22 November 2021. Swapping the mango trees of Ghana for an inner-city British Catholic boarding school, aged 11, was a shock to my system. The famous British journalist is a married man. If they all knew what I thought on every topic we report on, wed lose some of them. Towards Net Zero. He spent a decade as the corporation's foreign correspondent, winning a Baftafor his coverage of the Kosovo conflict in 2000. 'Ive been with people who treat me as they always did, who dont patronise me, and it is a tremendous fillip.'. George Alagiah is a British journalist, newsreader, and television news presenter. In 2010, he received the Outstanding Achievement in Television award at the Asian Awards. It is invented by nature to get you through anything. He draws a comparison with tight spots he got into in his award-winning career as a BBC foreign correspondent. The journalist, 66, returned to the BBC's News at Six in April. It's the idea that I'm only human if I recognise the humanity in you. He adds: ''One of the things I want to do is hold hands with my wife until the end, and am I going to be able to do that? Cancer had returned in January 2018, and he would have to undergo more treatment. How old is George Alagiah? When it comes to my family, I still have this sense of He stumbles briefly and uncharacteristically. [6] He has four sisters. George Alagiah reflects on cancer journey alongside Sheridan Smith. And I am looking out of the window at Frances setting out the tablecloth on our garden table, and it occurs to me, is she going to have to do that for herself one day, and eat on her own?, The Telegraph values your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful. "I think it would be to constantly ask the question, 'What is it we can do together?'" His wife Frances Robathan has supported him on his journey to fight the disease. "It's sobering to have your kids tell you, when you're dropping them off at school, 'Dad, don't get out of the car! "I had to stop and say, 'Hang on a minute. Sleep deprivation was an issue, but I dont want people to think I am feeling sorry for myself.. I was so privileged to have had the chance to talk to her.. The 66-year-old newsreader was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer . A specialist on Africa and the developing world, Alagiah has interviewed, among others, Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan and President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. George Alagiah and Frances Robathan have two children - Adam, 34, and Matthew, 30. View our online Press Pack. I dont like it and Ive managed to wean myself off them. Each of us has to find our way of doing it. George Alagiah's age is 67. Family: He married Frances Robathan in 1984 and they had two children. Moreover, he was sabbatical officer of Durham Students' Union. Im old enough to remember the beating of Rodney King vividly. We will continue to update details on George Alagiah's family. My mother was the realist. Its has been decades, George has been working for BBC, and no doubt he gets paid in huge numbers. Alagiah earns an average annual salary of between 325,000-329,999 at BBC.