We werent poor people, by the way, but it is just the way things were in Sri Lanka in the 1950s. I have had days when things feel more difficult, when I feel, how long is this going to go on for? In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Alagiah says he now has a 'tumour site' at the base of his back. And they clearly have. In January 2003 he joined the BBC Six O'Clock News, which he co-presented with Sophie Raworth until October 2005, and with Natasha Kaplinsky until October 2007. After staying in Colombo till age 6, his family moved to Ghana, and he started attending Crist the King International School for primary education. [6] He has four sisters. At 11, Alagiah was sent as his sisters before him had been to a Catholic boarding school in Portsmouth. They set various benchmarks and, one by one, had to let them go. Alagiah was born in Colombo, Ceylon to his parents, Donald Alagiah, an engineer, and Therese, who were Sri Lankan Tamil. ", "When the oncologist was looking at my scan, he kept gently shaking his head, and every time he did it was like a hammer blow. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. You can't do that in a terraced house. 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. Understanding sadness, he reflects, helps you understand joy. George Alagiah has revealed he has a 'tumour site' at the base of his back and has spent 18 months in 'extreme pain' - as he opens up on an eight-year battle with bowel cancer. The BBC turned me down three times at the start of my career, and Im grateful. I had two older sisters looking after me and two younger sisters looking up to me. Being a journalist is not an easy job. My career took me to some of the most dangerous places on the planet, and nothing ever turned out quite as bad as I thought it might., What has changed as a result of diagnosis, he says, is his understanding of the richness of each day. Im trying very hard not to get emotional.. On 28 June, Alagiah announced on Twitter that he was making "encouraging progress". How, I wonder, does he manage the pain if it strikes suddenly while he is reading the headlines, or interviewing someone live in the studio? My children go to a school attended by some 70 nationalities. "I'm missing my colleagues", he said, adding that he was looking forward to returning to the studio "as soon as I can". He wrote for and became editor of the student publication Palatinate while at Durham. As of 2019, George's total net worth is estimated to be $3 million, which is more than another BBC journalist Susannah Streeter, whose net worth is still under review. He joined the BBC Six OClock News in January 2003, co-presenting it with Sophie Raworth until October 2005, and then with Natasha Kaplinsky until October 2007. His wider family had a reunion recently, all four sisters, most of my nieces and nephews. Sexuality: N/A. His father worked as an engineer in Ghana, before the newsreader was sent to boarding school in Portsmouth aged 11. 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. [15] The book is described as a "gripping, pacy thriller about corruption and homicide in South Africa". He was first diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in 2014 and has stepped back from presenting intermittently for treatment since then. 09:57 GMT 04 Sep 2022 And on continuing to read the news despite his diagnoses, he adds: 'Going into the newsroom doesnt kill any cancer cells, thats for sure. 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? 'Energised and motivated' The presenter has kept working as much as . 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. He is the third born. It is very technical so you have to be careful. George Alagiah has described the challenge of getting his cancer diagnosis 'straight in his head' when he was told he was dying. George Aliagiah is married to his wife Frances Robathan. So, I understand it, but Im afraid I no longer have it. He thinks for a moment. He is widely popular as the news presenter of rthe BBC News at Six, and former main presenter of GMT on BBC World News since 1st February 2010. Alagiah first joined BBC News at Six (1984) as a newsreader in 2003 and became a much-recognized face of BBC news, also presenting slots in BBC News at Ten (2000) and BBC One O'Clock News (1986), among others. BBC News BBC presenter George Alagiah will be taking a break from TV after discovering his cancer has spread further, his agent has said. 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?'. As a BBC presenter, he earned 315,000 319,999 in 2018-2019. Both are sons, Adam Alagiah (23 years old) and Matthew Alagiah (19 years old). '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. His parents moved to Ghana, West Africa, in 1961, where he attended Christ the King International School for his primary education. Further, he said that it was not chronic or terminal.. George Alagiah married Robathan the high school sweetheart in the year 1984. Alagiah, 66, has been married to wife Frances, an executive with the Fairtrade Foundation charity, for 36 years. He has won multiple honors, including the Royal Television Societys Best International Report in 1993 and the Amnesty International UK Media Awards Overall Winner in 1994. When talking about being recognised as a celebrity, George said his sons keep him down to earth. If I were their age, I'd like to be their friend. As an immigrant child I mentally parcelled up all the things that made me different. Her sons always made their family feel like a sober family and make them complete. My sons Adam and Matthew, who are 23 and 19, are amazing guys. Both of which are significant. The things that had gone well far outweighed the others, which brought me to a place of total contentment. His current regime is low doses for around three quarters of the year, and higher doses for the rest of the time. Studied at the King InternationalSchool and later studied at St. John's College. He is the third of five children her sisters being: Mari, Rachel, Christine and Jennifer. He was formerly a relief presenter on BBC News at Ten, presenting mainly Monday to Thursday when main presenters Huw Edwards and Fiona Bruce were unavailable. Read about our approach to external linking. The novel is described as a thrilling, fast-paced thriller set in South Africa involving corruption and homicide.. However, there are no details regardinng his wife. I am generally an optimistic person. When asked what piece of wisdom he would give, he spoke about the need for people to think more collectively. The 66-year-old journalist was diagnosed with stage . His income is mainly from his successful career as a broadcast journalist. Up to when I was six, we lived in Sri Lanka, then my father got a job for the government in Ghana. Furthermore, during the COVID-19 pandemic in mid-March 2020, Alagiah tested positive for COVID-19 and exhibited mild symptoms. George Alagiah and Frances Robathan have two children - Adam, 34, and Matthew, 30. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. From 1999 to 2002, he was the deputy anchor of the BBC One OClock News and BBC Nine OClock News. 1961, George's parents shifted to Ghana, West Africa, where Alagiah joined Christ the King international School. 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. "I learned last time around how important the support of family and friends is and I am blessed in that . George at home with his wife Frances in North London, Source: Daily Mail, (R-L) Adam, George, Frances, and Matt together, Source: Mirror, News Reader George Alagiah at Buckingham Palace after collecting his OBE from the Queen, Source: Mirror, George Alagiah's Married life and Children: Battled with a Cancer, his Wife and Family were always by his side, Updated On 15 Aug, 2017 Published On 13 Aug, 2017, eople fighting cancer and winning over the disease. He was a sabbatical officer of the Durham Students Union. George Alagiah was born Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 22 November 1955 - that makes him 65. . On 17th April 2014, it was announced that George was under treatment for cancer. George married Frances Robathan in 1984. The TV journalist, 65, who regularly . . He is married to Frances Robathan, with whom he has two sons. You can be right out there or in the background. In an interview in January 2022, the BBC newsreader said: Probably [cancer] will get me in the end. ', "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.". But I have discomfort all the way from my mouth to my bum. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. George grew up alongside his four siblings Mari, Christine, Rachel, and Jennifer. I respect the gentleness with which my dad nursed my mother before she died in 1996. Since the marriage, George and Frances shares two children togethers. Poor leadership is definitely part of it., His father started working as an engineer in Ghana. But there is uncertainty, he says, over whether it may have to change. I think I am an emotional man. However, in January 2018, the cancer had complexes and Alagiah had to undergo for treatment again. Before I reached the front door the building took a direct hit. Since 2010 he has been the host and presenter on GMT. 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. From 2002 to 2009 George Alagiah was a patron of the Fairtrade Foundation; he is also a governor of the Royal Shakespeare Company. ", 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. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Subsequently there have been podcasts for BowelCancerUK - and now these Rankin photographs for Macmillan Cancer Support, which accompany the announcement of its annual Coffee Morning fundraising event later this month. The elder one is doing international development and I think Matthew could be a writer. But I cannot wait until they're the ones driving the car and I'm the one snoozing in the back. In late 2017 he revealed the cancer had returned after more than a year of him thinking he had got clear of it and in 2020 he shared that it had spread to his lungs. 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. Right now, when there is an unpredictability about my treatment, I would definitely call them not dark moments but difficult moments, when it is harder to reach that position of contentment which is where I am most of the time. The most painful thoughts are those about his family. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? Trending :Joanna Gaines || Pat Sajak || Brandi Love || Kamala Harris || Elizabeth Warren ||. George Alagiah captures the essence of the emerging global village. Since December 2007 George has presented BBC News at 6, Britain's most-watched news programme. He began his journalistic career in 1982 on the international magazine South, becoming its Africa editor, before joining the BBC seven years later.