Lorraine Kelly has revealed that she was “near tears” when she talked to the “incredible” Sir Chris Hoy after the Olympian sent her a message.
In a recent interview, the legendary TV presenter revealed that she’d received a text from the champion Olympic track cyclist, whom she branded an “incredible person”.
Chris, 48, was sadly diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer in 2024, and has been given just two to four years to live, with the Olympian penning a book, in which he shared details about his treatment last year.
Speaking to Woman and Home magazine, Lorraine heaped praise on Chris, calling him “lovely” while sharing the heartbreaking reason why she was “near tears” as she talked to him.
Chris had invited her to a fundraising event in Dundee over the summer. Lorraine said: “Ah! I’ve had a message from Chris Hoy. He had me at, ‘Are you free?'”
She continued: “That man, he’s just positivity. I was near tears talking to him because he’s lovely and he doesn’t deserve this. He’s a man on a mission to make all men check their prostate. What an incredible person. “
During his successful career, Chris won six Olympic gold medals, 11 World Championships, and 34 World Cups before retiring more than a decade ago, in 2013.
Speaking to the Sunday Times last November, Chris disclosed that his cancer was terminal after he announced in February that he’d been receiving treatment, which included chemotherapy.
He also opened up about his health on an episode of the Mid Point podcast last month, saying: “When I had scans, secondary tumours in my spine had actually burrowed into the bone so badly it had fractured. Being told not to pick up your six-year-old daughter, that was like, ‘Right, this is really impacting my life’.
“So I had injections. They drill into your vertebrae, squirt this cement material in and it sets, fuses and makes the vertebrae as good as new again. So I’m back to lifting weights again.”
Chris added that once he was told this had been “taken away”, you “suddenly appreciate everything”, adding that the thought of not being able to pick up your child was “horrendous”.
In addition, his wife, Sarra Kemp, was sadly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis not long after Chris’ cancer diagnosis. Chris is now planning a charity bike ride for those with stage four cancers.
He’s also spending time raising awareness about prostate cancer, telling Sky Sports at the end of last year that his “purpose” is trying to encourage men to “go and get checked”.