Chris Hoy says raising cancer awareness gives him purpose

Chris Hoy has said raising awareness about cancer since his diagnosis has given him a new purpose, after it led to his friend's prostate cancer being caught early.

The six-time Olympic cycling champion, 48, disclosed last year that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, which had then become terminal with doctors giving him between two and four years to live.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast on Friday, the former professional athlete said hearing of other men getting checked off the back of his announcement "helps me make sense of my situation".

His latest project is a new cycling initiative, Tour de 4, aimed at challenging perceptions of people with cancer and raising money for cancer charities.

Sir Chris said a friend in his mid-50s who had no symptoms and "no previous issues at all" would not have got a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test - which looks for signs of prostate cancer - if he had not made his own diagnosis public.

"Off the back of my diagnosis [he] went to his doctor, his doctor said 'you don't really need one' or 'there's no symptoms, come back when you've got any problems'," he said.

"And he pushed the issue and he had a test and he has prostate cancer. He's being treated and he caught it early, so he's doing really well. But if it had been left for another few years, who knows what might have happened."

When the 11-time world track cycling champion announced his diagnosis following a routine scan, it brought messages of praise and support from other British athletes and public figures.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said at the time that "the whole country is behind him and his family".

Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer among men, with around one in eight in the UK being diagnosed with it in their lifetime.

Sir Chris described the first few months after finding out as "an emotional rollercoaster", but said he had now "got my head around it".

He added: "When you find out a friend is in a similar situation, it's really difficult. But it has lifted me, it's given me a purpose."

BBC Breakfast also spoke to John Lee, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer a few weeks ago after having no symptoms.

He said the Olympian's diagnosis may have saved his life.

"To have someone like that with that level of fitness and looking after themselves get prostate cancer, it suddenly occurred to me that I needed to get a test done," he said.

Mr Lee added that his positive diagnosis had been "devastating", but that getting the test when he did meant it was "caught in time".

Watching on, Sir Chris said: "This is the kind of story - and there are quite a few of these that I've had via email or on social media - [that] makes sense of the situation. It's not in vain. It's not futile."

Sir Chris won six Olympic gold medals between 2004 and 2012 - the second highest total by any British Olympian - before retiring as an athlete in 2013.

But he is still cycling - this time in preparation for the first Tour de 4 rally on 7 September for people affected by cancer, which will start and finish at the velodrome in Glasgow named after the Scot.

"I hope it's an uplifting event," he said.

In the meantime, Sir Chris said he will be running several virtual bike rides with the likes of tennis star Andy Murray and other Olympic athletes that anyone can join, the first of which will take place on Saturday.