Why is George Alagiah taking a break from BBC news?
"I’m missing my colleagues," the presenter said in a statement.
BBC newsreader George Alagiah has stepped away from his presenting duties on News at Six after discovering his cancer has spread futher.
The 66-year-old newsreader was first diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in 2014 and has taken intermittent breaks for treatment since then.
Alagiah returned to the BBC's News at Six in April 2022 after he announced he would be taking a break in October 2021.
Read on for everything you need to know about his current BBC News hiatus.
Why is George Alagiah taking a break from BBC news?
The BBC presenter will be taking a break from his presenting duties after scans showed his cancer has spread further.
In a statement he siad: "A recent scan showed that my cancer has spread further so it’s back to some tough stuff.
"I’m missing my colleagues. Working in the newsroom has been such an important part of keeping energised and motivated."
He added: "I look forward to being back in that studio as soon as I can."
The news was confirmed by his agent Mary Greenham.
Alagiah underwent 17 rounds of chemotherapy to treat his advanced bowel cancer in 2014.
He returned to his hosting duties in 2015 and said he was a "richer person" for it.
The presenter's cancer returned in December 2017 and he underwent further treatment before again returning to work.
In January 2022, Alagiah said he thought the cancer he had had since 2014 would "probably get me in the end", but he still feels "very lucky" for the life he has lived.
"I don’t think I’m going to be able to get rid of this thing. I’ve got the cancer still. It’s growing very slowly," he explained in an interview for Craig Oliver’s podcast, Desperately Seeking Wisdom.
"My doctor’s very good at every now and again hitting me with a big red bus full of drugs, because the whole point about cancer is it bloody finds a way through and it gets you in the end."
He continued: "Probably … it will get me in the end. I’m hoping it’s a long time from now, but I’m very lucky."
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Authors
Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
