Alagiah reveals his cancer has returned
GEORGE ALAGIAH, the BBC newsreader, has disclosed he is to undergo treatment for cancer a second time.
The 62-year-old presenter was previously diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2014 which later spread to the liver and lymph nodes. He was cleared a year later and returned to work.
Yesterday, Alagiah announced he is considering his options after the cancer recurred. The journalist, who has two children, said he had “always known” the cancer could come back, but was feeling “genuinely positive” as he embarked on this “new challenge”.
It is understood he will continue to anchor BBC News at Six and presented the programme last night, hours after confirming his diagnosis.
Alagiah said: “My brilliant doctors are determined to get me back to a disease-free state and I know they have the skill to do just that. I learned, last time around, how important the support of family and friends is and I am blessed in that department. I genuinely feel positive as I prepare for this challenge.”
A BBC spokesman said: “Everyone at the BBC sends George and his family their best wishes and we will be thinking of them.” Alagiah joined the BBC in 1989 as a foreign correspondent.