Jeremy Clarkson has reassured fans he is 'not dead' and urged men to get tested for prostate cancer after revealing his diagnosis on the Amazon Prime show Clarkson's Farm. In a candid Instagram post on Saturday, June 20, the 66-year-old presenter said: 'Now the more observant among you will have noticed that... I'm not dead. And I'm not just not dead, my brows you can see are very lustrous.'
Early Detection Through Blood Test
Clarkson credited his recovery to early detection: 'The reason why I'm fine is because the doctors caught the prostate cancer early and they caught it early because I got tested.' He addressed common fears about the examination, clarifying that it is now a simple blood test, not a finger exam. He advised men to lie to their doctors if necessary, saying: 'Say you have got symptoms, say that you have to get up 32 times in the night that there's some umm... dribbling. Because look: 10, 12,000 people - men, to be honest - men die. From prostate cancer. Don't be one of them. Get tested.'
Diagnosis Revealed on Clarkson's Farm
The TV star broke the news to his co-stars on the Prime Video show, leaving farmhand Kaleb Cooper wiping away tears. In the episode, Clarkson told farm manager Charlie Ireland and Kaleb: 'I've got cancer. I've known since May. I had a medical, you remember back in May. I disappeared off the other week and I had a biopsy and it is cancer and it's aggressive, but it's really early so the treatment will be, you know.'
Charity Thank You and Call for Screening
Prostate Cancer UK thanked Clarkson for raising 'vital' awareness. Chiara De Biase, fundraising and health strategy director, said: 'We want to thank Jeremy for sharing his prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment in Clarkson's Farm, raising vital awareness with the millions of men and families watching. Thankfully he found the disease at an early stage, but sadly this is still not the experience of many men across the UK. Over 10,000 dads, brothers, sons and friends are diagnosed too late for a cure every year, and today the responsibility to know if you're at higher risk and to act on it rests entirely on men's shoulders. This must change.'
She added: 'The Government took an important step forward recently in doubling its support for Prostate Cancer UK's TRANSFORM screening trial, allowing us to reach tens of thousands more black men and generate the vital evidence to ensure those at highest risk are diagnosed earlier. In years to come the trial will find the safest and most effective way to screen all men for prostate cancer, but right now prostate cancer remains the most common cancer without a screening programme.'
Prostate Cancer UK encourages men worried by Clarkson's story to take their 30-second online risk checker or speak to their GP about a blood test. The charity can be reached on 0800 074 8383. Clarkson's Farm is available to stream on Prime Video.
