Lisa Hogan has spoken of her pride at Jeremy Clarkson's decision to go public with his prostate cancer battle. The partner of nine years said the former Top Gear presenter, 66, had planned to keep his illness private until he realised how much he could do to help other cancer sufferers.
Hogan, who was promoting the couple's new Diddly Squat jigsaw range at the Big Christmas Press Show in London, told the Daily Star that Clarkson allowed scenes of his hospital treatment to appear in his Amazon Prime show, Clarkson's Farm.
'Really big decision'
“I’m really happy he caught his prostate cancer early and I’m really proud of him for putting it on the show, because that was a really big decision. When I was filming him in hospital, at first he said ‘please don’t,’” she said.
Hogan told Clarkson the video was just to show his friend, producer Andy Wilman, how well he was doing. But it was Wilman who ultimately persuaded him to give the footage a wider audience.
“It was Andy Wilman who convinced him to do it, to help everybody else. When the show came out, Prostate Cancer UK had 30,000 people going onto their website in one day,” she added.
Encouraging men to talk
Another source of pride for the actress, famed for running the Diddly Squat Farm Shop, has been seeing Clarkson open up to male friends about his condition. He initially struggled to talk about his health, she admitted.
“Yes, of course it was a terrible worry,” she said. “But what I did encourage him to do was to talk to his friends. He didn’t want to initially, but he’s got lots of friends who’ve been through the same thing and he’s been talking to them about it. I think that’s really helped.”
Clarkson, who was diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of cancer in May 2025, revealed in June that he is now in remission. He had around ten per cent of his prostate removed as part of his treatment.
Health and recovery
The diagnosis came less than a year after he was rushed to hospital in October 2024, feeling “clammy” with a “tightness” in his chest. He needed emergency heart surgery to fit a stent, which opens up narrowed or blocked arteries.
“The stent was a big op and it was nearly open-heart surgery. The surgeons said if they sent him home and told him to come back the next, he just wouldn’t come back. So they really threw the kitchen sink at it. It’s normally a 50-minute procedure but it took them three hours,” Hogan said.
Thanks to the efforts of his medical team at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, she said his health is now “really good.” He is still having regular check-ups, but if all goes well, he will not need any further treatment.
Hogan added that Clarkson has not made any major lifestyle changes. “He’s still working harder than ever and he still loves a glass of rosé, but he’s happy. I think he likes his walk to work on the farm. Having travelled for so long all over the globe, he really loves not going to an airport. He just puts on his wellies and his jeans and he’s ready to go.”
Diddly Squat merchandise
Hogan, who moved to Oxford with Clarkson to open their farm in 2019, has been working on their Diddly Squat merchandise, including the range sold at Blue Diamond Garden Centres. Their latest creations include Ravensburger jigsaw puzzles featuring colourful scenes of farm life.
“When we released the thousand-piece, it sold out in days,” she said. “I didn’t realise how many people I know are into puzzles and said they couldn’t buy them. Andy Wilman’s into puzzles. Jeremy did the thousand-piece, it took him a while. He was obsessed as well and he probably hasn’t done a puzzle since he was six. Working with the artists was really fantastic. I couldn’t believe how many things they packed in.”
For more information about Diddly Squat merch, head to diddlysquatfarmshop.com or to a Blue Diamond Garden Centre. Season 6 of Clarkson’s Farm is expected to premiere on Amazon Prime next summer.
