'Sir Chris Hoy's BBC interview helped me realise I had prostate cancer'

A man believes that watching into an interview with Sir Chris Hoy helped him come to the realisation that he might be battling prostate cancer, potentially saving his life.

Britain's second-most decorated Olympianreceived his prostate cancer diagnosis in September 2023 after complaining of shoulder pain, before going public with the news during a BBC interview the following February.

Last October, he revealed the devastating news that his condition was terminal, having spread to his bones and reached stage 4.

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Following the heartbreaking revelation that his illness was incurable, he shared with the Times that doctors had informed him he had between two to four years to live.

Whilst his situation prompted an overwhelming wave of solidarity from fellow Olympians, famous faces and the British public, the announcement had an even more profound effect on Patrick Hughes from Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, the 57-year-old remembered catching an interview with Sir Chris on BBC News: "When I heard Sir Chris Hoy say that his only initial symptoms of prostate cancer were pain in his shoulder and ribs, I realised I needed to check my risk of the disease. He was speaking on television last November, shortly after announcing that his prostate cancer diagnosis was terminal."

He continued: "Until that point, I'd never seriously considered being at risk of prostate cancer, despite my dad tragically dying of the disease in 2021.

"But when Sir Chris told BBC News that his shoulder pain was actually a tumour, that's when my mindset completely changed - and just months later, I was diagnosed with the disease myself."

Following encouragement to seek medical examination for the condition, numerous tests subsequently revealed that he was also battling prostate cancer.

Fortunately, the disease had been detected sufficiently early for treatment to start, leaving him with the difficult choice between hormone therapy and radiotherapy or complete prostate removal.

Describing the decision as straightforward, he chose to undergo surgery to completely remove his prostate.

Prostate cancer is thought to be the most prevalent cancer affecting British men, with roughly one in eight men receiving a diagnosis during their lifetime, according to Prostate Cancer UK charity.

The NHS states that the illness typically presents no warning signs until the tumour becomes large enough to affect the tube carrying urine from the bladder through the penis.

Health officials note that warning signs of the condition may include "needing to pee more frequently, often during the night, needing to rush to the toilet and difficulty in starting to pee (hesitancy)".