Most people with these symptoms do not have bowel cancer, but the NHS advice is to see your GP if you have one or more of the symptoms and they have persisted for more than four weeks. He doesnt like the martial language of battling the disease who am I in a battle with? As a BBC presenter, he earned 315,000 319,999 in 2018-2019. Both of them have comepleted their high school, whereas the elder son Adam is enrolled into international developement and the younger is busy on building his career as a writer. I find the "men versus women" thing difficult to understand because I've never seen them as different. The BBC News at Six broadcaster, 66, was diagnosed with bowel . George is a British national and he belongs to a mixed race. His parents Donald Alagiah, an engineer, and Therese were Sri LankanTamil. Before that, Alagiah was the deputy anchor of the BBC One O'Clock News and BBC Nine O'Clock News from 1999. By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Alagiah was born in Colombo, Ceylon on 22 November 1955. Among his many interviews was one with President Nelson Mandela of South Africa. Last thing, I ask myself, Georgie, are you going to be around tomorrow? And I always say, yes I am. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? When it comes to my family, I still have this sense of He stumbles briefly and uncharacteristically. Moreover, he was sabbatical officer of Durham Students' Union. Besides, he also earns from his books as an author. After global riots in 2007 and 2008, George Alagiah travelled the world to reveal why we could be heading for . His father worked as an engineer in Ghana, before the newsreader was sent to boarding school in Portsmouth aged 11. He is doing a better job than me at keeping his eyes dry. Up to when I was six, we lived in Sri Lanka, then my father got a job for the government in Ghana. Alagiah was first diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in April 2014. The back pain is currently not so bad as it has been. He grew up with his four siblings and holds a British nationality. Best of BBC Future . To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Through my work I've seen the world at its worst and I often wish I could make it better. [12][13] He has also been actively involved in supporting microfinance as a tool for development, including recent appearances in support of Opportunity International. George Alagiah has described the challenge of getting his cancer diagnosis 'straight in his head' when he was told he was dying. The famous British journalist makes a decent money from his career. Yes, George Alagiah does have a wife. He learned to bake cakes for the grandchildren and was really sweet with her. His doctors agreed for a second dose of radiotherapy on the tumour near his back, deciding that the potential gains outweighed the risk of side effects. George Alagiah was born in Sri Lanka to parents Donald and Therese Alagiah on November 22, 1955. George Alagiah and Frances Robathan have two children - Adam, 34, and Matthew, 30. Alagiah then took a role reading the Six O'Clock News in 2007. "Illness sometimes teaches a person the real worth of life." Adrenalin got me through dealing with gunmen in Somalia and earthquake aftershocks in Kashmir., When it gets really bad, he takes painkillers. The news was confirmed by his agent Mary Greenham. His parents moved to Ghana in West Africa in 1961. Alagiah first met his spouse during his days in the Univerisity. BBC presenter George Alagiah has admitted that reading the news while he has cancer leaves him "absolutely knackered physically".. Its almost meditative.. Ive spent a lot of the last 18 months in extreme pain. The Burning Land, Alagiahs debut novel, was shortlisted for a Society of Authors award in 2020. His parents moved to Ghana, West Africa, in 1961, where he attended Christ the King International School for his primary education. In 2010, he received the Outstanding Achievement in Television award at the Asian Awards. If I had three feet, I'd have them in Asia, Africa and Europe. Please review our, You need to be a subscriber to join the conversation. Robathan, aged 61, was the Senior Partnerships Adviser of the Fairtrade Foundation, where she. He has been on chemotherapy almost constantly since 2014 though with a 15-month break when the cancer appeared to have gone. Speaking on the podcast Desperately Seeking Wisdom he said that when his cancer was first diagnosed, it took a while for him to understand what he "needed to do". George Alagiah has confirmed he'll be back on BBC News tonight following months of cancer treatment. George Alagiah (George Maxwell Alagiah) was born on 22 November, 1955 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, is a Journalist, News presenter, newsreader, author. His own main contribution to promoting the hopeful message that you can live, and live well, with cancer has been to continue reading the news on the BBC. With two growing sons Adam and Matthew (both now in their thirties, the latter following in his fathers footsteps in the media) he returned to Britain in the early 2000s and landed the principal role at the Six OClock News, as it was, in 2007. Image: George with his wife and two sons. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? But Ive got amazing colleagues at the BBC who step in to my place on the rota.. He has two younger sisters and two older sisters. There is a Tamil proverb where a father waits for the day when he walks into a room and people say: this is So-and-So's father. Who is George Alagiah's wife? There was that sense of abandonment, of God, I am leaving these young men [his sons] and my wife. Her sons always made their family feel like a sober family and make them complete. And that becomes acute after three days of chemo. ', "And actually, when I look back and I looked at my journey the family I had, the opportunities my family had, the great good fortune to bump into (Frances Robathan), who's now been my wife and lover for all these years, the kids that we brought up it didn't feel like a failure.". Thats the one we are watching.'. In 2004, he turned to his grandfather's original home in Sri Lanka in the aftermath of the Asian tsunami to survey the damage. The things that had gone well far outweighed the others, which brought me to a place of total contentment. Laterthe programme was replaced as The World. George Alagiah was first diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in April 2014, which subsequently spread to his lungs, liver and lymph nodes. He has two younger sisters and two older sisters. In January, Alagiah said he thought the cancer he had had since 2014 would "probably get me in the end", but he still feels "very lucky". [citation needed], Alagiah joined the BBC in 1989 after seven years in print journalism with South Magazine. The BBC newsreader, 66, underwent 17 rounds of chemotherapy after he was first diagnosed with stage-four bowel cancer in 2014. Swapping the mango trees of Ghana for an inner-city British Catholic boarding school, aged 11, was a shock to my system. The BBC responded that in keeping with its principles of impartiality, it would be inappropriate for one of its leading journalists to be seen supporting a movement that clearly represents a controversial view of global trade. He is one of the famous journalist for BBC, where Carol Kirkwood also serves as a journalist. Has faith stayed with him, or offered comfort in coping with a stage-four cancer diagnosis? George Maxwell Alagiah OBE is a British newsreader, journalist, and news presenter who began his career as a reporter and correspondent for the BBC in 1989. . [27], Alagiah at the launch of the Hadrian's Wall, Officer of the Order of the British Empire, "BBC's George Alagiah to take break from TV after cancer spread", "Coming Soon to America With News of the World", "My family values: George Alagiah | Family", "Statement on George Alagiah as Patron of the Fairtrade Foundation", "BBC move on George Alagiah's Fairtrade role brings 200 complaints", "George Alagiah's debut novel up for author's award", "The Burning Land by George Alagiah | Waterstones", "Newsreader George Alagiah: If only I'd had the Scottish cancer test", "George Alagiah diagnosed with bowel cancer", "Latest from medics - I'm making encouraging progress", "BBC newsreader George Alagiah announces cancer treatment is over", "BBC newsreader George Alagiah 'clear of cancer' and back to work", "BBC newsreader George Alagiah to undergo more treatment as cancer returns", "BBC newsreader George Alagiah reveals his cancer has returned", "Scottish health system quicker to spot cancer, says George Alagiah", "George Alagiah reveals his cancer has spread", "George Alagiah takes TV break after cancer spreads", BBC World: George Alagiah joins BBC World to present new peak-time news programme, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=George_Alagiah&oldid=1137084228, Journalist, News presenter, newsreader, author, This page was last edited on 2 February 2023, at 18:34. 'Ive been with people who treat me as they always did, who dont patronise me, and it is a tremendous fillip.'. George Maxwell Alagiah OBE is a British newsreader, journalist, and television news presenter. After the Asian tsunami in 2004, he went back to his grandfather's original home in Sri Lanka to look at the damage. Its has been decades, George has been working for BBC, and no doubt he gets paid in huge numbers. He spent a decade as the corporation's foreign correspondent, winning a Baftafor his coverage of the Kosovo conflict in 2000. As a five-year-old, George Alagiah emigrated with his family to Ghana - the first African country to attain independence from the British Empire. "I had to stop and say, 'Hang on a minute. My sons Adam and Matthew, who are 23 and 19, are amazing guys. Family: He married Frances Robathan in 1984 and they had two children. Since 3 December 2007, he has been the sole presenter of the Six O'Clock News. In a statement, he said "it's back to the tough stuff" after a scan showed his cancer had spread further. And they would store up treats for us. He says: 'It is near my L5 lowest vertebra. But I have discomfort all the way from my mouth to my bum. Alagiah has an estimated net worth of between $1 million -$5 million. I was nearly killed by a shell in Afghanistan. Adam is four years elder than his younger brother Matthew as he has now reached the age of 34, while Matthew is still 30 as of 2022. British television journalist known for presenting on BBC News at Six, BBC World News, and BBC News at Ten. George Alagiah was born on the 22nd of November, 1955. Born in Sri Lanka, the middle child in a family of five, and the only boy, his parents Donald and Therese - Tamil Catholics, a minority group in the island's population - left for west Africa. And I am looking out of the window at Frances setting out the tablecloth on our garden table, and it occurs to me, is she going to have to do that for herself one day, and eat on her own?'. According to The Guardian, Alagiah makes $325,000 to $395,000 annually as BBC presenter. During an interview with The Sunday Times in 2018, George said that his cancer was curable and could be discovered earlier. Adam Alagiah and Matthew Alagiah are two sons of George Alagiah and are his most treasured family. But he resisted initially. The couple has two kids Adam and Matt together. [4] His parents, Donald Alagiah, an engineer, and Therese, were Sri Lankan Tamil. 'When I called her, she was walking out of the Marsden [Londons leading cancer hospital], having had her own regular scan to see if the cancer was spreading. George won the Asian Awards Outstanding Achievement in Television award in 2010. George and Frances married in 1984, after meeting in Durham University, where they both studied. Alagiah reported on Twitter on June 28 that he was making encouraging progress. He announced the end of his treatment on Twitter in late October 2015, and he returned to the BBC on November 10th. Alagiah also spoke of the one encounter he had with BBC podcast presenter Dame Deborah James, who died aged 40 following a five-year battle with bowel cancer in June. George Alagiah's age is 67. Disappointing stats on NTP uncovered by. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? The broadcaster, 64, on racism, impartiality and surviving cancer. My relationship with Macmillan is more of the latter not too out there., His approach is different from that of Dame Deborah James, the campaigner who also had bowel cancer and died in June, eight years after her diagnosis. "I spent a lot of my time in Africa, and in South Africa they have a word: Ubuntu. Alagiah goes ahead to state that there was seeming to be a powerful thing in a new life entering the world while another which is his was getting compromised. Dec 9, 2022. By He has won numerous awards including Best International Report at the Royal Television Society in 1993 and in 1994 was the overall winner of the Amnesty International UK Media Awards. George Alagiah is taking a break from presenting the BBC's News At Six after saying scans showed his cancer has spread further.. He was first diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in 2014 and has stepped back from presenting intermittently for treatment since then. At conservative gathering, Trump is still the favourite. Alagiah has been the host of BBC Four News from its inception in 2002; the show has since been renamed The World and then another edition of World News Today. Born to his Srilankan parents, he is of Asian ethnicity and holds British nationality. A persistent change in bowel habit - going more often, with looser stools and sometimes tummy pain, Blood in the stools without other symptoms, such as piles, Abdominal pain, discomfort or bloating always brought on by eating - sometimes resulting in a reduction in the amount of food eaten and weight loss. BBC newsreader George Alagiah, 66, last night said his bowel cancer was going to 'find a way through the drugs sooner or later' after announcing the disease had spread further. George is the son of Donald Alagiah, an engineer, and Therese. He is a member of the Royal Shakespeare Companys Board of Directors. My parents were unconventional for Tamil parents they married for love, educated all their children the same and gave us a lot of freedom but there was still that strain of traditionalism. I dont know if it is into my spine. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. He has lost count of the number of rounds, more than a hundred not the 17 sometimes mentioned in reports, he points out, making a plea for old-fashioned accuracy in journalism. Moreover, Alagiah served as the presenter of BBC Four News from 2002. George Alagiah: I have a tumour site in my lower back - I've spent a lot of time in pain'. In the 2008 New Year Honours, Alagiah was named Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). It was 1994 in Kabul and I had just walked out of the house I was staying in. Further scans showed that the cancerous cells spread to his lymph nodes along with his liver. Me? We understood the sacrifice my parents had made in sending us to school so we wanted to make those holidays the best they could be for our parents. He was first diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in. Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims. And my sisters went to one in Littlehampton. ), He has asked for our interview to be on Zoom. My father is an idealist so from him I've learned to dream. I have very strong views, but I keep them to myself: impartiality is important. His wider family had a reunion recently, all four sisters, most of my nieces and nephews. He was a sabbatical officer of the Durham Students Union. He adds that there are days where he wakes up 'feeling like s**t' and can have a 'energy collapse'. So, I understand it, but Im afraid I no longer have it. He thinks for a moment. George Alagiah's Controversy & Recent News Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty, Why Trudeau is facing calls for a public inquiry, The shocking legacy of the Dutch 'Hunger Winter'. I'm comfortable with women. Its still happening 28 years later. You can't do that in a terraced house. [5] He lives in Stoke Newington, North London. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. However, in January 2018, the cancer had complexes and Alagiah had to undergo for treatment again. George Alagiah has revealed he has undergone more than 100 rounds of chemotherapy and has spent a lot of the past 18 months in 'extreme pain' as he shared an update on his stage four bowel. I go into the clinic to start off each dose of chemo, then I come home with a little pump that hangs around my waist for three days. In the aftermath of the Asian tsunami in 2004, George returned to his grandfathers original home in Sri Lanka to assess the damage. Alagiah has been married to wife Frances, a former executive with the Fairtrade Foundation charity, for more than 30 years after the couple, who have two sons in their thirties, met at. The only time he even starts to look his age is when he puts on a striking pair of dark pink specs to work out how to turn off a message that keeps appearing on his computer screen. We weren't rebellious. His father Donald Alagiah is a former engineer and mother Therese Alagiah is a house wife. Moreover, there are ho rumors or controversies about the couple that leads into their separation or divorce. I think I am an emotional man. He is known for being a TV Show Host. The novel is described as a thrilling, fast-paced thriller set in South Africa involving corruption and homicide.. In my job one cant decide that the view you subscribe to is the only one. George and his partner are living together since thirty four years and still seems to be happy and caring for each other. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours. Alagiah underwent 17 rounds of chemotherapy to treat his advanced bowel cancer in 2014 and said he was a "richer person" for it upon returning to presenting the following year. George Alagiah said his life and family "didn't feel like a failure", said in June 2020 that the cancer had spread, Harry: I feared losing memories of mum during therapy, US-made cheese can be called 'gruyere' - court, The children left behind in Cuba's exodus, Canadian grandma helps police snag phone scammer, AOC under investigation for Met Gala dress. George's Photo George Alagiah Wife 09:57 GMT 04 Sep 2022 I call it getting comfort. There was a work ethic about my mother, which I've also inherited. [6] He has four sisters. @SchoolsWeek. Adam is 34 years old and Matthew is 30 years old as of 221. [20] In late October 2015 he announced on Twitter that the treatment was officially over, and he returned to the BBC on 10 November. The 66-year-old newsreader was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer . By the end of the three days Ive been on it so much that my fingernails are beginning to fall off. He holds them up to the camera to demonstrate. One thing you learn is that with cancer each day is a different day., Born in Sri Lanka, the middle child in a family of five, and the only boy, his parents Donald and Therese Tamil Catholics, a minority group in the islands population left for west Africa when Alagiah was six, deciding (correctly, as subsequent history has shown) that they wouldnt get a fair chance in their own country. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, George Alagiah, 66, and Frances Robathan, 61, have been married for 37 years, George Alagiah and wife Frances, accompanied by their sons Adam, left and Matt, right, at Buckingham Palace, first diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). Family Tree. My children go to a school attended by some 70 nationalities. It is incredible what adrenalin will do, he laughs. The cancer returned in 2017 and he underwent further treatment before again returning to work. George Alagiah: I'm lucky for the life I've had, but cancer will probably get me in the end The BBC newsreader, 66, says he has resolved to enjoy the present moment By Victoria Ward 3 January. The 64-year-old BBC News At Six presenter is undergoing further treatment after doctors found cancer had now spread from his bowel to his liver, lymph nodes and lungs. Most people thought that he would look terrible after the surgery. It haunts me. His agent said at the time that he was dealing with a further spread of the . She even waited until my birthday. Prior to that, he had been the deputy anchor of the BBC One O'Clock News and BBC Nine O'Clock News from 1999. At 11, Alagiah was sent as his sisters before him had been to a Catholic boarding school in Portsmouth. He said: 'We had a mutual friend. , updated They might have worried that their brother was a bit girly: I don't know if I should admit this but I used to sew clothes for their Barbie dolls. It was back in 2014 that the 66-year old BBC newsreader, George Alagiah was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer. When he was six, his parents moved to Ghana, West Africa to avoid persecution. The couple tied the knot in the year 1984 and they have happily lived together to date. The latest breaking news, comment and features from The Independent. He was first diagnosed with bowel cancer in April 2014; the terrifying journey of the guy. There have been times when even lying down makes it worse.'. There have been times when even lying down makes it worse., There was a period last year, he says, when he was getting four straight hours sleep a night and counting himself lucky. Alagiah stands approximately at a height of 5 feet 10 inches tall and he weighs 87 kg. Its really tough there now, he says, on the basis of regular conversations with cousins still in Sri Lanka. Im trying very hard not to get emotional.. Find out more, George Alagiah: You cant get a cancer diagnosis without knowing about Macmillan because they are everywhere, George presenting from Cairo during the Egyptian revolution, George was a familiar sight on our screens as a BBC newsreader, Project Fear authors discussed when to deploy new Covid variant, Matt Hancock's plan to frighten the pants off everyone about Covid, Rishi Sunak has questions to answer on the true nature of his Protocol deal, The dreadful consequences of Matt Hancock's lockdown scare tactics, Rishi Sunak's Brexit deal is more threadbare than reckless Tories will admit, Trump gets rapturous reception at major US Republican conference, knowing about Macmillan because they are everywhere.