In a deeply moving interview, six-time Olympic cycling champion Sir Chris Hoy and his wife, Lady Sarra Hoy, have opened up about the profound impact of his stage 4 prostate cancer diagnosis on their family. The cycling legend, 49, received the tragic news in September 2023 but kept the diagnosis private for nearly a year.
In a cruel twist of fate, Sarra also received her multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis just days after Chris learned his cancer was terminal.
During a candid chat with the BBC on Monday, Sarra has shared the heartbreaking details of their children's initial reactions - including the devastating questions they asked - and revealed the efforts the family made to process their dad's health journey.
"They were scared, they had heard about cancer," Sarra revealed, adding: "Questions come very quickly, 'Will he die? Will I catch it? Did I cause it? Is it because I was naughty?'"
Sir Chris, a six-time Olympic cycling champion, 49, revealed in February 2024 he was undergoing cancer treatment, including chemotherapy.
During the chat, Sarra explained: "I wanted to make cancer and chemotherapy part of our lives. I didn't want them [the children] to be scared. I don't want them to ever remember being sat down and told something. I want it to be something that evolves and they grow with it."
In October 2024, the sports star announced that his diagnosis was terminal and said he had been told by doctors that he had two to four years to live.
As well as six Olympic golds, the Edinburgh-born athlete won 11 world championships and 34 World Cup titles by the time he retired from competitive racing in 2013. He was knighted in the 2008 New Year Honours List after his success at the Beijing Olympics.
© Getty ImagesLady Sarra, who spoke on ITV’s Lorraine earlier this year about being diagnosed with MS, previously said: "You just don't sleep, everything is awful. It was about trying to control what I could, and I just thought, I can't do anything about cancer, I can't do anything about MS [Multiple Sclerosis], I can't control any of that. What can I do? What can I help? What can I change?"
The couple, who have been married since 2010, are doting parents to two children; Chloe and Callum. She continued: "When everything is spiralling, just to stop and say, 'Right now, we're safe, the children are safe, this can't define us. We will not become the victims of this.'
"With kids you don't get a chance, there's no time to stop and have a day in bed, you just don't get that opportunity. So yes, the children are everything for us and our family that surrounds us are everything."
