TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson has disclosed that he met with former prime minister Lord David Cameron and food writer Giles Coren to discuss their shared experiences with prostate cancer. The 66-year-old revealed in the latest episodes of Clarkson's Farm that he had been diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer, which was caught early. In an interview with The Times, Clarkson confirmed that a PSA test two months ago showed no indication of cancer, and he is officially in remission.
Cancer Support Group
Clarkson said: “I was talking to David (Cameron) about it earlier this morning. He said the amount of people that come up to him is mostly in public conveniences and say, if you hadn’t owned up to it, I wouldn’t have got checked, and they wouldn’t have found it.” He added that the group, including Coren and one or two others, meets for lunch regularly to compare notes on Gleason scores, Stockholm scores, and PSA levels. “It is quite funny watching people looking at us and going, ‘that’s quite an interesting group of people, what do they all share in common?’”
Urging Men to Get Tested
Clarkson emphasized that the diagnosis “landed harder than I thought it would.” He urged readers: “Please, please, please go and get checked. It’s not uncomfortable, it’s not undignified, and it’s a no-brainer. I did, and that’s why I’m sitting here talking to you 11 months down the line.” He referenced the bravery of former Olympic cyclist Chris Hoy, who faced inoperable cancer, saying, “To be told your cancer is inoperable and to still carry on you’d have to be incredibly brave.”
Treatment Complications
In the season finale, Clarkson revealed complications during treatment caused by resuming blood thinners for prior heart issues without consulting a doctor. “That was horrific and it was all my own fault. I’d been on drugs for heart issues and I had to come off them during the cancer treatment. Two or three weeks after the cancer operation, I thought I’d better put myself back on those blood thinners. Big mistake, huge.” The incident led to a medical emergency requiring treatment he described as “horrible.”
Health Journey
Clarkson’s diagnosis came nearly two years after a heart procedure where he received two stents to improve blood flow. His doctor advised him to stop working and take up golf. Clarkson also quit smoking after contracting pneumonia on holiday in Spain. He stated, “I am without a doubt, officially, the world’s luckiest man.”
Public Appeal
In a post on his pub The Farmer’s Dog’s X account, Clarkson wrote: “The reason why I’m fine is because the doctors caught the prostate cancer early, and they caught it early because I got tested. Now, I know a lot of you will say, ‘I don’t want to be tested because it means someone will have to put their finger in me’, but it’s just a blood test these days… Look 10, 12,000 people, men, to be honest, men, die every year in the UK, from prostate cancer, don’t be one of them, get tested.”
Clarkson’s Farm
Clarkson’s Farm follows the presenter and his crew at Diddly Squat Farm near Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire. Since taking over the farm in 2019, Clarkson has become a vocal supporter of farmers, attending a protest against inheritance tax on farmland in November 2024. The sixth series is due to air in 2027.
