BBC newsreader George Alagiah, 64, previously explained he would no longer be appearing in the studio amid the coronavirus pandemic. It comes as the TV veteran is being treated for bowel cancer, but he also revealed he had a mild case of coronavirus earlier this month.
The News at Six on BBC One presenter was first diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2014 but revealed in 2017 that the disease had returned.
He recently explained that he underwent tests after suffering from a fever and his oncologist confirmed he had tested positive for COVID-19.
George said he is now feeling “not back to normal, but certainly I feel well”.
In an interview with his colleague Sophie Raworth on today’s news bulletin, he shared a heartfelt message of hope for others with cancer.
He explained: “If I can live with cancer, I can certainly live with Covid-19.
“I don’t want to trivialise because I seem to have had a mild dose, but actually, the very fact that we are living with cancer I think gives us an edge.
George admitted there had been “dark moments” but he has “come through” amid his coronavirus diagnosis.
He continued: “We’ve confronted those difficult, dark moments in our life.
“And in some ways, I think that we, those of us living with cancer, are stronger because we kind of know what it is like to go into something where the outcomes are uncertain.”
George underwent 17 rounds of chemotherapy and five operations, which doctors found had spread to his liver and lymph nodes.
He has explained that he “feels lucky” for only having experienced coronavirus in a “mild way”.
The newsreader explained that his wife Fran also experienced coronavirus symptoms.
The presenter said: “She’s been through it a little bit and it’s kind of lasted a bit longer.
“There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason for how this plays out in individuals.
“I don’t want to make light of it, because right now, Sophie, you and I both know there are people out there who are really finding this tricky, families going through a very anxious time.”
To others who were suffering or feling anxious, George said: “All I can say is, for myself, who is vulnerable to an extent, I’ve come through.
“I just hope that for all those people out there, they too come through.
“And you know, with basically the kind of medical staff we have in this country, most people are going to be able to come through.”
George’s candid admission comes as the NHS said they are treating the coronavirus as a level four emergency, the highest warning possible.
A level four emergency is defined as when “pressure in the local health and social care system continues to escalate leaving organisations unable to deliver comprehensive care.”
