And they clearly have. The journalist and Sheridan Smith are among those who have. Has faith stayed with him, or offered comfort in coping with a stage-four cancer diagnosis? I didnt want my identity to define me. 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. Alagiah would undergo 17 rounds of chemotherapy and three major operations. Alagiah earned a degree in political science from Durham University. The journalist, 66, returned to the BBC's News at Six in April. [15] The book is described as a "gripping, pacy thriller about corruption and homicide in South Africa". Before I reached the front door the building took a direct hit. In 2010, he received the Outstanding Achievement in Television award at the Asian Awards. [14], In 2020, his debut novel The Burning Land was shortlisted for a Society of Authors' award. He is the third born. I'm comfortable with women. If I were their age, I'd like to be their friend. For other inquiries, Contact Us. When talking about being recognised as a celebrity, George said his sons keep him down to earth. He also tested positive for COVID-19 . Its still happening 28 years later. In an interview in January 2022, the BBC newsreader said: Probably [cancer] will get me in the end. [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. His parents moved to Ghana in West Africa in 1961. It took me that long to feel comfortable in my Britishness; to reach a point where I didnt feel it could be taken away. His has been, he says, a blessed life. Alagiah earns an average annual salary of between 325,000-329,999 at BBC. His father worked as an engineer in Ghana, before the newsreader was sent to boarding school in Portsmouth aged 11. After staying in Colombo till age 6, his family moved to Ghana, and he started attending Crist the King International School for primary education. He is married to Frances Robathan, with whom he has two sons. In a statement, he said "it's back to the tough stuff" after a scan showed his cancer had spread further. Being healthy, being content, being physically comfortable is as much about the mind as it is the body., He uses breathing techniques taught to him by his very clever and imaginative osteopath to calm his mind and deal with its reaction to the pain caused by the tumour next to his spine. In 2004, he turned to his grandfather's original home in Sri Lanka in the aftermath of the Asian tsunami to survey the damage. In January 2003 he joined the BBC Six O'Clock News, along with the co-presenter Sophie Raworth until October 2005, and with Natasha Kaplinsky until October 2007. For the next decade, he was a foreign correspondent, including a spell based in Johannesburg, winning a Royal Television Society award in 1993, and a Bafta in 2000. Newsreader George Alagiah is to take a break from his presenting duties at the BBC as he deals with 'a further spread of cancer', his agent said today.. George Alagiah said his life and family "didn't feel like a failure" BBC newsreader George Alagiah has said he thinks the cancer he has had since 2014 will "probably get me in the end", but that . There is no stage five. If I had three feet, I'd have them in Asia, Africa and Europe. After global riots in 2007 and 2008, George Alagiah travelled the world to reveal why we could be heading for . Who is George Alagiah's wife? 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. Me? He doesnt like the martial language of battling the disease who am I in a battle with? You cant get a cancer diagnosis without knowing about Macmillan because they are everywhere, he explains. ), He has asked for our interview to be on Zoom. Frances Robathan, 61, is the wife of BBC News at Six presenter George Alagiah, 66. I was so privileged to have had the chance to talk to her.. Before that, Alagiah was the deputy anchor of the BBC One O'Clock News and BBC Nine O'Clock News from 1999. One of the things I want to do is hold hands with my wife until the end, and am I going to be able to do that? George spent his childhood in Colombo and belongs to Srilankan-British nationality. ', "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.". The 65-year-old BBC newsreader was first diagnosed with stage 4. Dame Deborah death prompts more bowel checks, Cancer will probably get me, says George Alagiah, Alagiah takes break from TV for cancer treatment, BBC's Alagiah on living with coronavirus and cancer, Street fighting in Bakhmut but Russia not in control, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims. George recalled the memory and said, "The doctors are very careful in what they say, so you have to read between the lines and work out what theyre not saying. There isn't much information available about Adam, but Matt is the Editor-in-Chief of @itsnicethat. 2023 BBC. The. [10][11] Complaints were received at the BBC from members of the public who were unhappy that Alagiah had been asked to step down. 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. For more updates and current gossip of celebs visit our official page. The BBC turned me down three times at the start of my career, and Im grateful. Swapping the mango trees of Ghana for an inner-city British Catholic boarding school, aged 11, was a shock to my system. When my cancer got into my lungs they arranged for us to have a conversation because it had got into hers too. "I had to stop and say, 'Hang on a minute. It is really important for me to know that, when my eyes shut, it is only going to be for a little while and that another day will start., Are there ever darker moments, like when he had hoped the cancer had gone but then it returned? Adam Alagiah was born in the year 1987 and is now 34 years old. Initially became editor of the student newspaper Palatinate. . His father Donald Alagiah is a former engineer and mother Therese Alagiah is a house wife. BBC newsreader George Alagiah was first diagnosed with bowel cancer in April 2014. It is very technical so you have to be careful. He wrote for and became editor of the student publication Palatinate while at Durham. And what a wonderful village this can be, if only all of us global citizens realise the positive energy this can unleash. As well as presenting the news, Alagiah has worked as a BBC News foreign correspondent and specialist on Africa and the developing world, covering events including the Rwandan genocide and interviewing Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. It was a gathering full of passion and joy, but tinged with the realisation that some of us were more vulnerable than others. One brother-in-law died last year, another has pancreatic cancer. Unsure of what was happening, I laughed along with them. I'd love to campaign to bring about the three-generational family, living in close proximity. Alagiah was born in Colombo, Ceylon on 22 November 1955. Yes and no. Since 3rd December 2007, George is the sole presenter of the Six O'Clock News. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. 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". My children go to a school attended by some 70 nationalities. In his glossy portrait taken by celebrity photographer Rankin as part of a new campaign by Macmillan Cancer Support, George Alagiah is looking good. George is currently serving as a main relief presenter for BBC Ten O'Clock News. It was back in 2014 that the 66-year old BBC newsreader, George Alagiah was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer. Their second son Matthew Alagiah was born in 1991. Alagiah is happily married to Frances Robathan. George Alagiah father's name is under review and mother unknown at this time. There have been times when even lying down makes it worse.'. ", Alagiah takes break from TV for cancer treatment, George Alagiah reveals his cancer has spread, George Alagiah's debut novel up for author's award, Alagiah 'overwhelmed' by viewers' support, Street fighting in Bakhmut but Russia not in control, Saving Private Ryan actor Tom Sizemore dies at 61, Alex Murdaugh's legal troubles are far from over, The children left behind in Cuba's mass exodus, Xi Jinping's power grab - and why it matters, Snow, Fire and Lights: Photos of the Week. Sam Moore. Only in my late 30s did I open it again, to explore my heritage. Listen on iTunes , Spotify , Audioboom, and Castbox or listen below. [6] The family's former home had been destroyed, but he was able to recognise an old well where he had played with his sisters, although the well was unsalvageable. George Alagiah and Frances Robathan have two children - Adam, 34, and Matthew, 30. In a casual pink and orange T-shirt, he is sitting in the family picture-lined top-floor office of his large and attractively lived-in north London home, shared with his wife of 38 years, former charity worker (at the Fairtrade Foundation) Frances Robathan. Learned politics at Van Mildert College, Durham University. We're in that transition period that other parents worry about: the loss of control and so on. And that becomes acute after three days of chemo. And then there were people saying, come and help us with the campaign. They set various benchmarks and, one by one, had to let them go. George Maxwell Alagiah OBE is a British newsreader, journalist, and television news presenter. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Dec 9, 2022. The 66-year-old newsreader was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2014 but carried on working until 2021 when he took a short break from the airwaves. George at home with his wife Frances in North London, Source: Daily Mail BBC News BBC presenter George Alagiah will be taking a break from TV after discovering his cancer has spread further, his agent has said. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. View our online Press Pack. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours. But there is uncertainty, he says, over whether it may have to change. George Alagiah interviews Stacey Heale from Southampton, whose husband Greg has bowel cancer, along with the charity's former Chief Executive, Deborah Alsina MBE, on what it's like caring for a loved one with the disease. Cancer had returned in January 2018, and he would have to undergo more treatment. He is on the Board of the Royal Shakespeare Company. 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. From 1999 to 2002, he was the deputy anchor of the BBC One OClock News and BBC Nine OClock News. 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". But Ive got amazing colleagues at the BBC who step in to my place on the rota.. 2023 BBC. Thats the one we are watching.'. Jamie Phillips For Mailonline, George Alagiah RETURNS to BBC's News At Six, six months after stepping back to undergo treatment for bowel cancer, 'Both inside and out, he was kind and generous - and had a wicked sense of humour': Stars pay tribute to 'brave' Bill Turnbull after 'talented' journalist died aged 66 following battle with prostate cancer. George and Frances married in 1984, after meeting in Durham University, where they both studied. On being diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in 2014, I constructed a pros and cons list of how my life had gone so far. Family: He married Frances Robathan in 1984 and they had two children. Alagiah has also worked as a BBC News foreign correspondent and specialist on Africa and the developing world, covering events including the Rwandan genocide and interviewing Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. BBC presenter George Alagiah will be taking a break from TV after discovering his cancer has spread further, his agent has said. The globe looks different depending on where youre standing. Adam Alagiah and Matthew Alagiah are two sons of George Alagiah and are his most treasured family. 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. 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. He has two younger sisters and two older sisters. the opportunities my family had, the . 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. Is one of the BBC team collecting a BAFTA award for the coverage of the Kosovo conflict. Trending :Joanna Gaines || Pat Sajak || Brandi Love || Kamala Harris || Elizabeth Warren ||. Ive spent a lot of the last 18 months in extreme pain. What financial arrangements? 09:57 GMT 04 Sep 2022 His parents moved to Ghana, West Africa, in 1961, where he attended Christ the King International School for his primary education. The 66-year-old journalist was diagnosed with stage . George Alagiah will be taking a break from presenting duties as he deals with "a further spread of cancer", his agent has said. "Probably it will get me in the end. He is the third of five children her sisters being: Mari, Rachel, Christine and Jennifer. Then a nurse disconnects it. 195 ratings27 reviews As a five-year-old, George Alagiah emigrated with his family to Ghanathe first African country to attain independence from the British Empire. Alagiah says he told her to inform her family immediately, but instead she stopped and spoke to him for half an hour. He last appeared on the programme in 2014. He grew up with his four siblings and holds a British nationality. There was a work ethic about my mother, which I've also inherited. Although the familys former home had been demolished, he recognized an old well where he had played with his sisters, despite the fact that the well had been ruined. Mr Turnbull's family revealed that he died 'peacefully' at home in Suffolk after a 'challenging and committed fight' against his cancer which had been diagnosed in November 2017. George Alagiah's Controversy & Recent News Since 2000, he has been a patron of Parenting UK. The novel is described as a thrilling, fast-paced thriller set in South Africa involving corruption and homicide.. I can suddenly have an energy collapse. 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. When he was six, his parents moved to Ghana, West Africa to avoid persecution. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Both are sons, Adam Alagiah (23 years old) and Matthew Alagiah (19 years old). 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. By
At conservative gathering, Trump is still the favourite. You can't do that in a terraced house. Before joining BBC, he served for seven years in print journalism with South Magazine. George Aliagiah is married to his wife Frances Robathan. There seemed something so powerful in a new life entering the world while another, mine, was so compromised. During his days at Durham, Alagiah was a writer and editor for the student newspaper titled palatinate. [17] The couple have two children, Adam and Matthew. Best of BBC Future . The broadcaster, 64, on racism, impartiality and surviving cancer. Health Gap. The 66-year-old newsreader was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer . He is one of the famous journalist for BBC, where Carol Kirkwood also serves as a journalist. 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. Both of their sons, Adam and Matthews are adults. 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. George Alagiah was born in Sri Lanka to parents Donald and Therese Alagiah on November 22, 1955. The couple exchanged their vows in1984 and have two children. Series two Episode four: Surgery and bowel cancer It haunts me. He also spoke about his treatment, saying: "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 finds a way through and it gets you in the end. Furthermore, Alagiah was a member of the BBC crew that won a BAFTA award for its coverage of the Kosovo crisis in 2000. I am generally an optimistic person. (In 2011 he drew on his own experience to make a BBC2 series, Mixed Britannia. No one uses the d-word. The Next Giant Leap. He said: 'We had a mutual friend. The famous British journalist is a married man. The popular journalist George suffered a lot but his wife and family were always by his side. Ive not had the anger but it takes quite a lot anyway to get me angry. Moreover, George has been the sole presenter of the Six OClock News since December 3, 2007. Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims. George Alagiah reflects on cancer journey alongside Sheridan Smith. If the full stop came now, would my life have been a failure? There was that sense of abandonment, of God, I am leaving these young men [his sons] and my wife. Robathan, aged 61, was the Senior Partnerships Adviser of the Fairtrade Foundation, where she. My family home was a very Catholic home. Had I joined then, Id have entered a very white world, dominated by people from a certain class and set of institutions. . I find the "men versus women" thing difficult to understand because I've never seen them as different. Read about our approach to external linking. From 2002 to 2009, Alagiah was a patron of the Fairtrade Foundation[9] from which in July 2009, he was obliged to resign by BBC Management who claimed professional conflict of interest. He was a sabbatical officer of the Durham Students Union. George Alagiah is a British journalist, newsreader, and television news presenter. Studied at the King InternationalSchool and later studied at St. John's College. Discover George Alagiah's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Then they said Catholics. While he was on a trip to South Sudan in March 2014 he spotted some blood in his stools he felt easy; anyway, he visited his GP in case. After graduating from college, George enrolled at Van Mildert College and Durham University to study politics. That day, it was okay.'. During an interview with The Sunday Times in 2018, George said that his cancer was curable and could be discovered earlier. His public profile made it inevitable, when he shared his cancer diagnosis in 2014, that there were approaches from charities wanting to involve him. That day, it was OK. Alagiah told her he would ring back, that the most important thing was to rush home and tell family. I call it getting comfort. He has been married to Frances Robathan for over 30 years. He spent a decade as the corporation's foreign correspondent, winning a Baftafor his coverage of the Kosovo conflict in 2000. Jamie Phillips For Mailonline
[6] His other documentaries and features include reports on why affirmative action in America is a 'Lost Cause', for the Assignment programme, Saddam Hussein's genocidal campaign against the Kurds of northern Iraq for the BBC's Newsnight programme and a report on the last reunion of the veterans of Dunkirk.[8]. By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. 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. He was born George Maxwell Alagiah on November 22, 1955, in Colombo, Ceylon. BBC presenter George Alagiah has admitted that reading the news while he has cancer leaves him "absolutely knackered physically".. He looks slim and perfect this time. Amid the economic collapse, there is a widespread sense of how did this happen. "It's sobering to have your kids tell you, when you're dropping them off at school, 'Dad, don't get out of the car! What kind of architecture do we need? He also states that she was waiting until the arrival of his birthday. The question keeps popping up. Thats the one we are watching. The word significant is typically measured in the circumstances. As a BBC presenter, he earned 315,000 319,999 in 2018-2019. Donald and Therese, both of his parents, were Sri Lankan Tamil, and was the only son in a family with four sisters. They have been together since they met for the first time at Durham University when Frances was 19 and George 20. On 28th June, Alagiah announced on his Twitter account that he was making "encouraging progress". He was first diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in. [5] In 1961, his parents moved to Ghana in West Africa, where he had his primary education at Christ the King International School. It is incredible what adrenalin will do, he laughs. 'More importantly, it is sitting very close to the nerve and the aorta. In the 2008 New Year Honours, Alagiah was named Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). Last thing, I ask myself, Georgie, are you going to be around tomorrow? And I always say, yes I am. My sons Adam and Matthew, who are 23 and 19, are amazing guys. (BBC) George Alagiah has announced that he will be stepping back from presenting BBC News after scans confirmed his cancer has spred further. How old is George Alagiah? He has hosted World News Today on BBC World News and BBC Two from 3 July 2006, when it was relaunched GMT on 1 February 2010. After the Asian tsunami in 2004, he went back to his grandfather's original home in Sri Lanka to look at the damage. On April 17, 2014, George was diagnosed with colorectal cancer and was treated for it. he said. Recalling the. However, in January 2018, the cancer had complexes and Alagiah had to undergo for treatment again. Having spent 14 years delivering the nation the latest headlines, most recently, Alagiah has made headlines himself after he . He was the presenter of BBC Four News from its launch in 2002; the programme was later relaunched as The World and then another edition of World News Today. In the showers, the other boys with tan-lines made jokes about how I was brown all over. Our marriage was a shock to him but, to his credit, he replied, "That boy is more educated than you and I will ever be.". Im not too scared for myself, but Im here on the third floor of our house, he says, almost over his shoulder. Since the marriage, George and Frances shares two children togethers. The back pain is currently not so bad as it has been. You have to work that out for yourself.". [12][13] He has also been actively involved in supporting microfinance as a tool for development, including recent appearances in support of Opportunity International. But I have discomfort all the way from my mouth to my bum. Family Tree. The Burning Land, Alagiahs debut novel, was shortlisted for a Society of Authors award in 2020. And my second sister married in a registry office. In 2000, Alagiah was part of the BBC team which collected a BAFTA award for its coverage of the Kosovo conflict. George married Frances Robathan in 1984. The couple tied the knot in the year 1984 and they have happily lived together to date.