BBC newsreader George Alagiah will undergo more treatment to deal with a recent recurrence of cancer. The 63-year-old broadcaster will remain on BBC News At Six, but may need to reduce his workload over the coming weeks. "George Alagiah will aim to be on-air as much as possible but may need to reduce his workload in the next few weeks as he begins a new regime of treatment to deal with a recent recurrence of his cancer," his agent confirmed on Thursday. "He is always grateful to the public for the tremendous support he has received."
© Photo: BBCGeorge Alagiah is set to undergo more treatment
George, who revealed he was being treated for the disease for a second time in 2018, underwent 17 rounds of chemotherapy to treat advanced bowel cancer after his diagnosis in 2014. The journalist recently shared his experiences of living with the disease, saying that although he has struggled with "dark thoughts" since his diagnosis, it has brought some positives too. Opening up about his health on George Alagiah: A Bowel Cancer UK podcast, he explained: "Everybody's got their way of dealing with it, but I had to get to what I now call my place of contentment. Because there was so much thrashing about in my mind, some of it negative, some of it dark."
READ: BBC News journalist Jeremy Bowen diagnosed with bowel cancer
The dad-of-two also revealed how he found a way to see the good in his diagnosis, admitting: "I mean I wish I'd never had cancer, I wish I'd never got it. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. But now that I've got it, it's made life richer. It's clearer to me what's important and it's clearer to me how to love people." George, who has presented BBC News At Six for more than a decade, returned to the BBC newsroom in January for the first time since December 2017.
He was first diagnosed with bowel cancer in April 2014, and it was found to have spread to his liver and lymph nodes. He underwent several rounds of chemotherapy and three major operations, including one which involved the removal of most of his liver. He returned to work after being given the all-clear in November 2015, but revealed last year that he was once again receiving treatment after the cancer returned.
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