His current regime is low doses for around three quarters of the year, and higher doses for the rest of the time. 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.". George won the Asian Awards Outstanding Achievement in Television award in 2010. He is doing a better job than me at keeping his eyes dry. Alagiah would undergo 17 rounds of chemotherapy and three major operations. The disease returned in 2017 and he also contracted COVID-19 at the start of the pandemic in 2020. He has been married to Frances Robathan for over 30 years. The couple tied the knot in the year 1984 and they have happily lived together to date. That day, it was OK. Alagiah told her he would ring back, that the most important thing was to rush home and tell family. George Alagiah married to Frances Robathan on 1984. cancer had complexes and Alagiah had to undergo for treatment again. [5] He lives in Stoke Newington, North London. The BBC News at Six broadcaster, 66, was diagnosed with bowel . George tied a knot to Frances in the year 1984. - last year just 49% of pupils on the programme were Pupil Premium eligible. Adam Alagiah and Matthew Alagiah are two sons of George Alagiah and are his most treasured family. What I have is a tumour that is resting very close to the spine and, as far as doctors can make out, has eroded a bit of a vertebra. Listen on iTunes , Spotify , Audioboom, and Castbox or listen below. [6] As one of the BBC's leading foreign correspondents, he reported on events ranging from the genocide in Rwanda to the plight of the Marsh Arabs in southern Iraq to the civil wars in Afghanistan, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Somalia.[6]. George Alagiah captures the essence of the emerging global village. So, I understand it, but Im afraid I no longer have it. He thinks for a moment. Laterthe programme was replaced as The World. That day, it was okay.'. He is a member of the Royal Shakespeare Companys Board of Directors. 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. But I have discomfort all the way from my mouth to my bum. Robathan, aged 61, was the Senior Partnerships Adviser of the Fairtrade Foundation, where she. 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. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? And what a wonderful village this can be, if only all of us global citizens realise the positive energy this can unleash. But wouldn't it be amazing if the kids could go across a hallway and do their homework with him? From 2002 to 2009 George Alagiah was a patron of the Fairtrade Foundation; he is also a governor of the Royal Shakespeare Company. 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. There were 28 of us. Two sisters live in Britain, another in Switzerland and one in Florida. The 65-year-old BBC newsreader was first diagnosed with stage 4. 'Energised and motivated' The presenter has kept working as much as . [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. A specialist on Africa and the developing world, Alagiah has interviewed, among others, Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan and President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. He began his career as a newsreader for BBC News at Six (1984) in 2003, and went on to become a well-known face of BBC news, hosting shows such as BBC News at Ten (2000) and BBC One OClock News (1986), among others. 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. For more celebrity details, stick on marriedceleb. There seemed something so powerful in a new life entering the world while another, mine, was so compromised. Read about our approach to external linking. George and Frances married in 1984, after meeting in Durham University, where they both studied. He said: 'We had a mutual friend. Cancer had returned in January 2018, and he would have to undergo more treatment. Unsure of what was happening, I laughed along with them. On 28th June, Alagiah announced on his Twitter account that he was making "encouraging progress". Since December 2007 George has presented BBC News at 6, Britain's most-watched news programme. Donald and Therese, both of his parents, were Sri Lankan Tamil, and was the only son in a family with four sisters. Usually by about a week later it is beginning to be better. He receives low doses for three quarters of the year and higher doses the rest of the time. There was a work ethic about my mother, which I've also inherited. George Alagiah reflects on cancer journey alongside Sheridan Smith. Call it habit, call it superstition. Her sons always made their family feel like a sober family and make them complete. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. It was 1994 in Kabul and I had just walked out of the house I was staying in. British journalist and reader of BBC News at Six, George Alagiah has declared that he would be taking time off from his presenting duties after it was discovered through a scan that his bowel cancer has spread. There he began attending 'Christ the King International', a primary school. "You're allowed to scream.you're allowed to crybut do not give up". The BBC newsreader was first diagnosed with the disease several . He is a husband to Frances Robathan and she was born in the year 1960. [6] He has four sisters. The BBC received complaints from members of the public who were upset that Alagiah had been asked to resign. '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. He is appreciative for all the kind wishes he has received thus far and is optimistic for a favorable conclusion, the BBC stated in a statement. Furthermore, during the COVID-19 pandemic in mid-March 2020, Alagiah tested positive for COVID-19 and exhibited mild symptoms. He is the third of five children her sisters being: Mari, Rachel, Christine and Jennifer. Both of which are significant. Alagiah now uses breathing techniques to calm himself and help deal with the pain caused by the tumour. ", "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. Frances has never bothered about her kids as they love to follow in their father's footsteps. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. He has lost count of the number of rounds, more than a hundred not the 17 sometimes mentioned in reports, he points out, making a plea for old-fashioned accuracy in journalism. He was a sabbatical officer of the Durham Students Union. The elder one is doing international development and I think Matthew could be a writer. George Alagiah is a British newsreader and journalist who joined the BBC in 1989, working as a reporter and correspondent. The only time he even starts to look his age is when he puts on a striking pair of dark pink specs to work out how to turn off a message that keeps appearing on his computer screen. With friends, family and colleagues Ive shared experiences and thoughts that we otherwise wouldnt have had. 2023 BBC. But she stopped and talked to me for half an hour. It is very technical so you have to be careful. Its has been decades, George has been working for BBC, and no doubt he gets paid in huge numbers. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. [23][24], In March 2018, in an interview with The Sunday Times, Alagiah noted that his cancer was terminal and could have been caught earlier if the screening programme in England, which is automatically offered from the age of 60, was the same as that in Scotland, where it is automatically offered from the age of 50. [4] His parents, Donald Alagiah, an engineer, and Therese, were Sri Lankan Tamil. Swapping the mango trees of Ghana for an inner-city British Catholic boarding school, aged 11, was a shock to my system. The BBC newsreader, 66, underwent 17 rounds of chemotherapy after he was first diagnosed with stage-four bowel cancer in 2014. The journalist, 66, returned to the BBC's News at Six in April. Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty, Why Trudeau is facing calls for a public inquiry, The shocking legacy of the Dutch 'Hunger Winter'. 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. When asked what piece of wisdom he would give, he spoke about the need for people to think more collectively. His has been, he says, a blessed life. I go into the clinic to start off each dose of chemo, then I come home with a little pump that hangs around my waist for three days. Towards Net Zero. 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. Initially became editor of the student newspaper Palatinate. The globe looks different depending on where youre standing: George Alagiah. Ultimately, in October 2015, George announced on Twitter that his treatment was over and went back to the BBC on 10th November. Having said that, we light candles in churches when we go in occasionally, around Christmas. GEORGE ALAGIAH is a recognisable newsreader and television presenter. George Alagiah: It took me a long time to feel comfortable in my Britishness. Thats the one we are watching. The word significant is typically measured in the circumstances. Born in 1955, we will celebrate his 66th birthday on 22 November 2021. He also states that she was waiting until the arrival of his birthday. Ive been with people who treat me as they always did, who dont patronise me, and it is a tremendous fillip., One of the ways he has learnt to deal with his cancer is by realising that the body and the mind, though distinct, are also interrelated.