Former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson reveals cancer diagnosis

Jeremy Clarkson, one of the long-time hosts of the popular BBC show Top Gear, has revealed he has been diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of cancer and has had a portion of his prostate removed.

The 66-year-old television presenter shared the news in the latest episode of his Amazon series Clarkson’s Farm, while sitting with farmworkers Kaleb Cooper and Charlie Ireland talking about the timing of the property’s next harvests.

“I’ve got cancer,” Clarkson says suddenly during the conversation in episode seven of the series’ fifth season. Cooper, stunned, replies: “No, you haven’t. Where?”

“Where it is is of no concern to anybody. I’ve known since May,” Clarkson replies, as Cooper wipes away tears.

“I had a medical, you remember, back in May? I disappeared off the other week and I had a biopsy done and it is cancer, and it’s aggressive, but it’s really early, so the treatment will be, you know.

“I’m praying we could get the harvest done and then I could go and get some treatment, but it’s going to be slap bang in the middle.”

Cooper quickly assures Clarkson to forget about the harvest. “Look after yourself,” he says.

“It’s going to be in about two weeks, maybe three,” he says. “I’ll have to go and have an operation … then [I’ll be] slightly out of action for a little while.”

About halfway through the final episode, Clarkson revealed that he had undergone a procedure to have part of his prostate removed following the diagnosis.

Cooper asks Clarkson how his operation went and whether he is feeling better, to which Clarkson replies that it went well, and he feels “strong”.

“I won’t know whether it has worked or not until November, probably … they [did] blood tests and things. You know, the prostate, 10 per cent of it is dead. The 10 per cent with cancer in it.

“They used an ultrasound – have you ever got a magnifying glass on a piece of paper on a sunny day? You can make that little spot … they get the sound waves and then direct them onto the cancer and blitz it.”

At the end of the season finale, Clarkson addresses viewers from the hospital bed.

“We started season five with me in a hospital bed, and here we are at the end of season five, and I’m back in a hospital bed,” he says.

“Some of the treatments have gone a bit awry, let’s say. So I am going to be here for a little while … I’m nil by mouth, yeah, I don’t know what’s going to happen … What I wanted to say was, if this is all successful, I will see you in season 6, and if it isn’t, I won’t.