Andrew Marr has revealed that he is battling kidney cancer. The broadcaster told viewers on his weekly Sunday programme, The Andrew Marr Show, that he will be "away for a few weeks" while he had an operation. Revealing that he will undergo treatment to have a malignant tumour removed from his kidney, he said: "I am going to be away for a couple of weeks or so. I'm having a small operation and I will be back as soon as I possibly can, so be kind please to whoever is sitting in this chair next week."
The 58-year-old's news was met with well wishes from both viewers and fellow presenters. Good Morning Britain host Susanna Reid took to Twitter, telling Andrew: "Sending strength to @AndrewMarr9 as he faces this latest health challenge. Brilliant broadcaster and one of the kindest people in the industry." Piers Morgan wrote: "This is very sad news. Few better or more courageous broadcasters in Britian than Andrew Marr – I wish him a successful op & speedy recovery." BBC newsreader Sophie Raworth added: "He has been through so much already. Wishing @AndrewMarr9 all the best and a very speedy recovery."
Andrew Marr revealed he is battling kidney cancer
Andrew's latest health setback follows five years after his stroke in January 2013, which saw him hospitalised for two months. In 2017, the BBC presenter opened up about the physical difficulties he now faces as a result of his condition – from tying his own shoelaces to cutting up a steak - but said that his marriage to fellow journalist Jackie Ashley has actually strengthened as a result of it. "It's probably made it better and warmer, actually," he told the Radio Times. He added: "I was very lucky with Jackie because she had grown up from when she was a young girl with a father who was deaf. You might think she had had the worst luck of all, having looked after her father, and then this happens to me. But she has been very good about shepherding me through the process."
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The TV presenter suffered a stroke in 2013
The presenter also starred in a BBC documentary Andrew Marr: My Brain and Me, which saw him travel to the US to try out a new anti-inflammatory drug. Andrew defiantly made the show so that he could share his "positive" experiences with others. "I don't really like talking about these things, or certainly being filmed," he said. "I didn't enjoy watching the film. But when you are in public life, and something bad but very common happens to you – 1.4 million people are surviving strokes at the moment – then you have a kind of obligation to share your experience, particularly if it's positive, and is going to encourage other people."