Jeremy Clarkson, the former host of Top Gear and the British version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, has revealed that he is being treated for prostate cancer. He disclosed the diagnosis in the final episodes of the fifth season of Clarkson's Farm, the Amazon streaming series he currently fronts, and said he has known about the illness since May.
In the show, Clarkson tells Charlie Ireland and Kaleb Cooper, “I’ve got cancer.” When Cooper asks where it is, Clarkson replies, “Where it is is nobody’s business.” He said he briefly disappeared for medical tests, including a biopsy, after which doctors diagnosed an “aggressive” cancer, though he stressed it was found at a very early stage.
Clarkson said surgery is expected in about two or three weeks. “I’m not stupid. It’s going to happen in about a fortnight, maybe three weeks. I’ll have to have an operation, and the procedure itself is relatively short, but the body is out of action for some time afterwards,” he said. After treatment, he said he will undergo more blood tests before his condition becomes clear. He was later shown in hospital saying, “I started season five in a hospital bed, and now we’re at the end and I’m back in a hospital bed.”
He added that “part of the treatment did not go as planned” and told viewers, “What I wanted to say is that if everything works out, we’ll see you in season six. And if not, then not.” Ahead of the final episodes, Clarkson posted on Instagram warning of “sad news” and calling the episodes “very hard viewing.” The season ends with the message, “Take care of yourselves, everyone.” Clarkson, 66, remains one of British television’s most recognizable and controversial figures. He rose to fame on Top Gear, later co-hosted The Grand Tour with Richard Hammond and James May, left the BBC in 2015 after being suspended over a clash with a producer, and has more recently starred in Clarkson's Farm and presented Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
