George Alagiah blames diet for cancer diagnosis

George Alagiah believes his diet may have contributed to him getting cancer.

The 64-year-old newsreader was first diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2014, with the disease having now spread further throughout his body, and he thinks it is "possible" that his love of processed meat triggered the original tumour, though his wife Frances Robathan has helped him overhaul his eating habits.

He told The Sunday Times magazine: "Fran has been trying to control my diet since the first diagnosis, and breakfast is porridge or muesli with lots of fruit and nuts.

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"Left to my own devices it would be chorizo and smoked ham, which is possibly why I got bowel cancer in the first place."

George contracted coronavirus in March but "ignored" the virus because it was so mild and he initially assumed his symptoms were a side effect of his chemotherapy.

He said: "The fact that I\'m being treated for cancer means that I should have been shielding, but I also contracted Covid and beat it, so I\'ve been able to carry on working in between my chemo sessions.

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"The Covid was picked up by my cancer doctors and was so mild that we thought it was one of the usual fevers that you get when you\'re on immunosuppressive drugs. It seems strange to say this, but I sort of ignored it."

The broadcaster starts every day with a workout because he finds being fit helps him cope better with chemotherapy.

He explained: "The alarm goes off at 6am. I make coffee for Fran and myself, and we listen to the \'Today\' programme till seven. Then I\'ll jump on the exercise bike and lift a few weights. Staying fit helps me deal with the chemo."