Sir Chris Hoy, the six-time Olympic gold medallist, has revealed that he initially dismissed a warning sign of his stage 4 prostate cancer as a natural part of getting older. In a BBC documentary, Sir Chris Hoy: Cancer, Courage and Me, the Scottish cyclist described noticing a symptom but downplaying it as age-related rather than something serious. He later discovered it was linked to the illness.
Initial Symptom and Diagnosis
Sir Chris Hoy said it was "scary" to hear the word cancer, recalling: "It was the summer of 2023, I had a pain in my shoulder and just assumed it was a sign of getting older. Aches and pains, as you expect."
The father-of-two said he went to see a doctor late one night and knew the outcome was likely to be serious. "I'm really sorry, it's prostate cancer, and it's incurable", the doctor told him.
The six-time Olympic gold medallist was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer in September 2023. He shared his diagnosis publicly the following year and in October 2024 announced that the cancer had spread to his bones and could not be cured.
What is Prostate Cancer?
According to Cancer Research UK: "Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate gland, a gland at the base of the bladder. It is the most common cancer in men in the UK."
"Most prostate cancers start in the outer gland cells of the prostate. They are called acinar adenocarcinomas. Many of these cancers grow extremely slowly and are not likely to spread. But some can grow more quickly."
Signs and Symptoms
The NHS says prostate cancer often causes no symptoms at first. But as it grows or spreads, it can affect the urethra - the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the penis - leading to changes in how you pee. This could mean you experience:
- finding it difficult to start peeing or straining to pee
- having a weak flow of urine
- "stop start" peeing
- needing to pee urgently or often, or both
- feeling like you still need to pee when you've just finished
- peeing during the night
Other symptoms can include:
- erectile dysfunction (being unable to get or keep an erection)
- blood in your urine or blood in your semen
- lower back pain and losing weight without trying to (these may be symptoms of advanced prostate cancer)
Lady Sarra Hoy's Experience
Chris Hoy isn't the only one to brush off symptoms. Lady Sarra Hoy, Chris' wife, initially passed off a multiple sclerosis sign as a dental issue. Shortly after her husband was diagnosed with terminal cancer, Lady Sarra received her own devastating piece of health news. Her early symptoms made her think it was a toothache, but it later became clear the problem was far more serious.
Multiple sclerosis is a condition that affects the central nervous system, including the brain and spinal cord. While there's currently no cure, medication can help control it.
Recalling her diagnosis and first warning sign, Lady Sarra, during an appearance on ITV's This Morning with her husband in November 2024, said: "I had some tingling on my face, just a change in sensation. I thought it was a root canal, and I was sending you [Sir Chris] messages, panicking about some sort of dental treatment.
"The doctor said we'll just do an MRI to see what's going on. Popping along to the doctor, I thought they were going to satisfy me and say we'll keep an eye on it. I never in a million years thought that they would be saying those words."
The couple received their respective diagnosis a short period apart. However, Lady Sarra initially didn't tell her husband. She said: "It came completely out of the blue. I just knew it wasn't the right time [to tell him]."
"I would always tell Chris everything, and we're each other's crutch in everything in life, so it was very against the grain not to share it with him. But I just knew it wasn't the right time."
"We were trying to find stable ground, having just been given this diagnosis from him. I think you get a bit of mum strength. In amongst the fear, I just felt this incredible sense of courage come over me."
