Its has been decades, George has been working for BBC, and no doubt he gets paid in huge numbers. And what a wonderful village this can be, if only all of us global citizens realise the positive energy this can unleash. As a five-year-old, George Alagiah emigrated with his family to Ghana - the first African country to attain independence from the British Empire. My dad is 85 and very frail; he lives in a wonderful residential home, but it's a 35-minute drive. Anyone who has lived with cancer will know this., The struggle to adapt lasted around a year, he recalls. My mother was the realist. He also states that she was waiting until the arrival of his birthday. "Probably it will get me in the end. With two growing sons Adam and Matthew (both now in their thirties, the latter following in his fathers footsteps in the media) he returned to Britain in the early 2000s and landed the principal role at the Six OClock News, as it was, in 2007. I didnt want my identity to define me. In his glossy portrait taken by celebrity photographer Rankin as part of a new campaign by Macmillan Cancer Support, George Alagiah is looking good. By the time it came to me, they just wanted good people. Being a journalist is not an easy job. The duo is living a blissful conjugal life and is also blessed with two children; sons, Adam, 30, and Matt, 25. My own cells, and they have gone Awol but he has never wanted to hide away or turn his back on the job he has been doing all his adult life. [7] His secondary education took place at St John's College, an independent Roman Catholic school in Portsmouth, England, after which he read politics at Van Mildert College, Durham University. Alagiah has been the host of BBC Four News from its inception in 2002; the show has since been renamed The World and then another edition of World News Today. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, George Alagiah, 66, and Frances Robathan, 61, have been married for 37 years, George Alagiah and wife Frances, accompanied by their sons Adam, left and Matt, right, at Buckingham Palace, first diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). One thing you learn is that with cancer each day is a different day., Born in Sri Lanka, the middle child in a family of five, and the only boy, his parents Donald and Therese Tamil Catholics, a minority group in the islands population left for west Africa when Alagiah was six, deciding (correctly, as subsequent history has shown) that they wouldnt get a fair chance in their own country. So, I understand it, but Im afraid I no longer have it. He thinks for a moment. He covered everything from the Rwandan genocide to the hardship of the Marsh Arabs in southern Iraq to the civil wars in Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Somalia as one of the BBCs top international correspondents. If they all knew what I thought on every topic we report on, wed lose some of them. Read about our approach to external linking. Studied at the King InternationalSchool and later studied at St. John's College. Not every day.'. BBC News At Six popular anchor George Alagiah has announced that he is taking a break from presenting the channel's evening news bulletin after discovering his cancer has spread further, his . Going into the newsroom doesnt kill any cancer cells, thats for sure. A PASSAGE TO AFRICA is Alagiah's shattering. The couple tied the knot in the year 1984 and they have happily lived together to date. Alagiah was born in Colombo, Ceylon to his parents, Donald Alagiah, an engineer, and Therese, who were Sri Lankan Tamil. The two of them met and fell in love while students at Durham University at a time when mixed-race relationships were, he has said, certainly less common back then, though not unique. View our online Press Pack. The famous British journalist makes a decent money from his career. She even waited until my birthday to arrive. In the 2008 New Year Honours, Alagiah was named Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). He even manages to smile as he says it. The 66-year-old journalist was diagnosed with stage . We would end the day by sitting around saying the rosary. Alagiah earns an average annual salary of between 325,000-329,999 at BBC. However, he was forced to leave in July 2009 due to a professional conflict of interest, according to BBC management. The BBC News at Six broadcaster, 66, was diagnosed with bowel . Alagiah earned a degree in political science from Durham University. From 1999 to 2002, he was the deputy anchor of the BBC One OClock News and BBC Nine OClock News. When youre closer to your last day, you live each one with an intensity you couldnt have previously imagined. His current regime is low doses for around three quarters of the year, and higher doses for the rest of the time. The couple has two kids Adam and Matt together. Who is George Alagiah's wife? 2023 BBC. BBC presenter George Alagiah has admitted that reading the news while he has cancer leaves him "absolutely knackered physically".. Understanding sadness, he reflects, helps you understand joy. It is invented by nature to get you through anything. He draws a comparison with tight spots he got into in his award-winning career as a BBC foreign correspondent. [17] The couple have two children, Adam and Matthew. George Alagiah will be taking a break from presenting duties as he deals with "a further spread of cancer", his agent has said. Aged 11, I got sent to a Catholic boarding school in Portsmouth. George Alagiah has described the challenge of getting his cancer diagnosis 'straight in his head' when he was told he was dying. The couple exchanged their vows in1984 and have two children. Alagiah underwent 17 rounds of chemotherapy to treat his advanced bowel cancer in 2014 and said he was a "richer person" for it upon returning to presenting the following year. BBC newsreader George Alagiah, 66, left viewers and colleagues emotional today over his return to broadcasting.Earlier this afternoon, George had taken to Twitter to announce his return to the . In the seat I regularly occupy on the BBC News at Six, I speak to millions of people. Since 2000, he has been a patron of Parenting UK. It haunts me. My career took me to some of the most dangerous places on the planet, and nothing ever turned out quite as bad as I thought it might., What has changed as a result of diagnosis, he says, is his understanding of the richness of each day. ", "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. Adrenalin got me through dealing with gunmen in Somalia and earthquake aftershocks in Kashmir., When it gets really bad, he takes painkillers. By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Alagiah first met his spouse during his days in the Univerisity. After his graduation, George served at South Magazine in 1982 and later worked for the British Broadcasting Corporation, where Alagiah became Developing World correspondent in London. [17][25], In June 2020 Alagiah said that the cancer had spread to his lungs, liver and lymph nodes, but was not at a "chronic" or "terminal" stage. My relationship with Macmillan is more of the latter not too out there., His approach is different from that of Dame Deborah James, the campaigner who also had bowel cancer and died in June, eight years after her diagnosis. [15] The book is described as a "gripping, pacy thriller about corruption and homicide in South Africa". But she stopped and talked to me for half an hour. Cancer had returned in January 2018, and he would have to undergo more treatment. They described my condition as serious, and I knew it was as bad as it gets. Series two Episode four: Surgery and bowel cancer Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims. George Alagiah with his sisters, mother and father in Sri Lanka, 1959; and with his sisters and mother in Ghana, 1965 . There seemed something so powerful in a new life entering the world while another, mine, was so compromised. But I cannot wait until they're the ones driving the car and I'm the one snoozing in the back. Usually by about a week later it is beginning to be better.'. There was that sense of abandonment, of God, I am leaving these young men [his sons] and my wife. Before joining BBC, he served for seven years in print journalism with South Magazine. Most people with these symptoms do not have bowel cancer, but the NHS advice is to see your GP if you have one or more of the symptoms and they have persisted for more than four weeks. Apart from Frances, my wife, my sisters are my closest friends. Im not afraid of vulnerability or saying I am vulnerable, so Im slightly surprised at myself that I kept seeing these leaflets and pamphlets, but somehow I had in my head that if I go to Macmillan, I would be telling myself its over. It was back in 2014 that the 66-year old BBC newsreader, George Alagiah was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer. They might have worried that their brother was a bit girly: I don't know if I should admit this but I used to sew clothes for their Barbie dolls. George married Frances Robathan in 1984. When asked what piece of wisdom he would give, he spoke about the need for people to think more collectively. '", I saved myself from Royal life, Harry says & insists 'sharing's an act of service', Love Island's Olivia Hawkins breaks silence as she returns to the UK, Loose Women star lined up to be Strictly's first contestant in wheelchair, Coronation Street fans horrified as Amy Barlow is raped in disturbing scenes, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. George Alagiah was born in Sri Lanka to parents Donald and Therese Alagiah on November 22, 1955. "You're allowed to scream.you're allowed to crybut do not give up". Each day, news reporters, forecasters and presenters work hard to gather information and deliver to public via news programs, radio and news papers. I dont like it and Ive managed to wean myself off them. Speaking on the podcast with ex-Downing Street director of communications Craig Oliver, Alagiah said that when his cancer was first diagnosed, it took a while for him to understand what he "needed to do". Photograph: Eamonn McCabe for the Guardian. George Alagiah is 65 years of age. His parents moved to Ghana, West Africa, in 1961. "It's. By
Swapping the mango trees of Ghana for an inner-city British Catholic boarding school, aged 11, was a shock to my system. He was first diagnosed with bowel cancer in April 2014; the terrifying journey of the guy. Besides, he also earns from his books as an author. George Alagiah (George Maxwell Alagiah) was born on 22 November, 1955 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, is a Journalist, News presenter, newsreader, author. Then they said Catholics. Last thing, I ask myself, Georgie, are you going to be around tomorrow? And I always say, yes I am. From 2002 to 2009 George Alagiah was a patron of the Fairtrade Foundation; he is also a governor of the Royal Shakespeare Company. 'Energised and motivated' The presenter has kept working as much as . I'm hoping it's a long time from now, but I'm very lucky.". I think I am an emotional man. And on continuing to read the news despite his diagnoses, he adds: 'Going into the newsroom doesnt kill any cancer cells, thats for sure. [5] In 1961, his parents moved to Ghana in West Africa, where he had his primary education at Christ the King International School. Recalling the. I am absolutely convinced that those things that keep you content and in the present and not thinking tomorrow the pain is going to be worse, are not just useful but are proven to work. Carrying on working is a part of that, he says, just as lying on the lawn or a beach with my granddaughters [he has three, to whom he is devoted] is also a part of that., He seems to be saying that cancer has changed him, and not always in bad ways. BBC newsreader George Alagiah was first diagnosed with bowel cancer in April 2014. The two were not close, he says, but their one encounter is firmly fixed in his memory. Her sons always made their family feel like a sober family and make them complete. Having said that, we light candles in churches when we go in occasionally, around Christmas. Only in my late 30s did I open it again, to explore my heritage. Image: George with his wife and two sons. 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. George Alagiah The last time I came to Sri Lanka the journey from the international airport into the capital, Colombo, took more than three hours. VideoRussian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims, The children left behind in Cuba's mass exodus, Xi Jinping's power grab - and why it matters, Snow, Fire and Lights: Photos of the Week. The book can be bought from Amazon with a price range of $15.57. There is no joy sometimes without sadness and they feed off each other. He pauses, as if to ask himself if he is really going to say what he is about to say. - last year just 49% of pupils on the programme were Pupil Premium eligible. Please review our, You need to be a subscriber to join the conversation. He has been on chemotherapy almost constantly since 2014 though with a 15-month break when the cancer appeared to have gone. Adam is 34 years old and Matthew is 30 years old as of 221. In January, Alagiah said he thought the cancer he had had since 2014 would "probably get me in the end", but he still feels "very lucky". [12][13] He has also been actively involved in supporting microfinance as a tool for development, including recent appearances in support of Opportunity International. I was nearly killed by a shell in Afghanistan. ', "And actually, when I look back and I looked at my journey the family I had, the opportunities my family had, the great good fortune to bump into (Frances Robathan), who's now been my wife and lover for all these years, the kids that we brought up it didn't feel like a failure.". My children go to a school attended by some 70 nationalities. He is one of the famous journalist for BBC, where Carol Kirkwood also serves as a journalist. However, there are no details regardinng his wife. In addition, George celebrates his birthday on the 22nd of November every year and his zodiac sign is Sagittarius. @SchoolsWeek. Alagiah is happily married to Frances Robathan. 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. It's the idea that I'm only human if I recognise the humanity in you. 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. 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. Family Tree. On being diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in 2014, I constructed a pros and cons list of how my life had gone so far. The BBC newsreader was first diagnosed with the disease several . Read about our approach to external linking. Later, he attended St. John's College, in England. The famous British journalist is a married man. The cancer returned in 2017 and he underwent further treatment before again returning to work. Sexuality: N/A. As well as presenting the news, Alagiah has 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. , updated Has faith stayed with him, or offered comfort in coping with a stage-four cancer diagnosis? Now, he tells me calmly, he has a tumour site at the base of his back. He has hosted World News Today on BBC World News and BBC Two from 3 July 2006, when it was relaunched GMT on 1 February 2010. George Alagiah Granddaughter He states that his granddaughter's birth was nothing but a spiritual experience. Till date, Alagiah has written four books. He was born George Maxwell Alagiah on November 22, 1955, in Colombo, Ceylon. I see the injustice of whats happening in the US with the death of George Floyd. Alagiah revealed in June 2020 that his cancer had spread to his lungs, liver, and lymph nodes. But thats right now and it may not be true for tomorrow. When it comes to my family, I still have this sense of He stumbles briefly and uncharacteristically. George Alagiah Family. He was the presenter of BBC Four News from its launch in 2002; the programme was later relaunched as The World and then another edition of World News Today. He also tested positive for COVID-19 . Sam Moore. Frances went to Durham University, where she met her husband. Alagiah says he told her to inform her family immediately, but instead she stopped and spoke to him for half an hour. There have been times when even lying down makes it worse., There was a period last year, he says, when he was getting four straight hours sleep a night and counting himself lucky. Born in Sri Lanka, the middle child in a family of five, and the only boy, his parents Donald and Therese - Tamil Catholics, a minority group in the island's population - left for west Africa. I've got the cancer still. Copyright 2021, All Right Reserved MARRIEDCELEB. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours. Discover George Alagiah's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Since the marriage, George and Frances shares two children togethers. Trending :Joanna Gaines || Pat Sajak || Brandi Love || Kamala Harris || Elizabeth Warren ||. He has won numerous awards including Best International Report at the Royal Television Society in 1993 and in 1994 was the overall winner of the Amnesty International UK Media Awards. In late 2017 he revealed the cancer had returned after more than a year of him thinking he had got clear of it and in 2020 he shared that it had spread to his lungs. George Maxwell Alagiah(BBC), Bio, Wiki, Age, Height, Education, Family, Career, Salary and Net Worth. 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. My father is an idealist so from him I've learned to dream. Ive spent a lot of the last 18 months in extreme pain. After global riots in 2007 and 2008, George Alagiah travelled the world to reveal why we could be heading for . Taking a job at South magazine informed how I report on international affairs to this day. 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. Born in Sri Lanka, Alagiah's parents left for west Africa when he was a young child. The things that had gone well far outweighed the others, which brought me to a place of total contentment. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Well, the couple has been together for almost 33 years with no divorce rumors and affairs. 'Ive been with people who treat me as they always did, who dont patronise me, and it is a tremendous fillip.'. When I look back and I looked at my journey the family I had, the opportunities my family had, the great good fortune to bump into [Frances Robathan], whos now been my wife and lover for all these years, the kids that we brought up it didnt feel like a failure.. The globe looks different depending on where youre standing. Im hoping its a long time from now, but Im very lucky.. He said in June 2020 that the cancer had spread to his lungs, liver and lymph nodes. When my cancer got into my lungs they arranged for us to have a conversation because it had got into hers too. It took me that long to feel comfortable in my Britishness; to reach a point where I didnt feel it could be taken away. George Alagiah said his life and family "didn't feel like a failure", said in June 2020 that the cancer had spread, Harry: I feared losing memories of mum during therapy, US-made cheese can be called 'gruyere' - court, The children left behind in Cuba's exodus, Canadian grandma helps police snag phone scammer, AOC under investigation for Met Gala dress. Adam is four years elder than his younger brother Matthew as he has now reached the age of 34, while Matthew is still 30 as of 2022. We had a mutual friend. And that becomes acute after three days of chemo. For more celebrity details, stick on marriedceleb. When he was six, his parents moved to Ghana, West Africa to avoid persecution. In my job one cant decide that the view you subscribe to is the only one. 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. The Next Giant Leap. In 2000, Alagiah was part of the BBC team which collected a BAFTA award for its coverage of the Kosovo conflict. When talking about being recognised as a celebrity, George said his sons keep him down to earth. BBC newsreader George Alagiah has said he feels 'lucky' for the life he has lived even though cancer will 'probably get me in the end'. Despite the fact that the family's previous residence . Jamie Phillips For Mailonline, George Alagiah RETURNS to BBC's News At Six, six months after stepping back to undergo treatment for bowel cancer, 'Both inside and out, he was kind and generous - and had a wicked sense of humour': Stars pay tribute to 'brave' Bill Turnbull after 'talented' journalist died aged 66 following battle with prostate cancer. And my second sister married in a registry office. ), He has asked for our interview to be on Zoom. I can suddenly have an energy collapse. Both are sons, Adam Alagiah (23 years old) and Matthew Alagiah (19 years old). His public profile made it inevitable, when he shared his cancer diagnosis in 2014, that there were approaches from charities wanting to involve him. British television journalist known for presenting on BBC News at Six, BBC World News, and BBC News at Ten. The novel is described as a thrilling, fast-paced thriller set in South Africa involving corruption and homicide.. In my own extended family, among my mixed-heritage nieces, nephews and . 09:57 GMT 04 Sep 2022 If there was a time when they wanted us to marry Asians, that disappeared with my eldest sister's first marriage. George Alagiah is a British journalist, newsreader, and television news presenter. Moreover, George has been the sole presenter of the Six OClock News since December 3, 2007. Working in the newsroom "has been such an important part of keeping energised and motivated", said Alagiah. My sons Adam and Matthew, who are 23 and 19, are amazing guys. His wider family had a reunion recently, all four sisters, most of my nieces and nephews. Alagiah was born in Colombo, Ceylon on 22 November 1955. I have very strong views, but I keep them to myself: impartiality is important. His income is mainly from his successful career as a broadcast journalist. His parents moved to Ghana, West Africa, in 1961, where he attended Christ the King International School for his primary education. [18], On 17 April 2014, it was announced that Alagiah was being treated for colorectal cancer. George tied a knot to Frances in the year 1984. Dame Deborah death prompts more bowel checks, Cancer will probably get me, says George Alagiah, Alagiah takes break from TV for cancer treatment, BBC's Alagiah on living with coronavirus and cancer, Street fighting in Bakhmut but Russia not in control, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims. It is an . What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? Me? He is married to Frances Robathan, with whom he has two sons. There were 28 of us. Two sisters live in Britain, another in Switzerland and one in Florida. The question keeps popping up. In 2004, he turned to his grandfather's original home in Sri Lanka in the aftermath of the Asian tsunami to survey the damage. When my cancer got into my lungs they arranged for us to have a conversation because it had got into hers too. It was a great relief, however, that the cancer was operable with a devastating twist. Donald and Therese, both of his parents, were Sri Lankan Tamil, and was the only son in a family with four sisters. You have to work that out for yourself.". It's growing very slowly," he said on the podcast Desperately Seeking Wisdom. We will continue to update details on George Alagiah's family. On 17th April 2014, it was announced that George was under treatment for cancer. George Alagiah interviews Stacey Heale from Southampton, whose husband Greg has bowel cancer, along with the charity's former Chief Executive, Deborah Alsina MBE, on what it's like caring for a loved one with the disease. That day, it was okay.'. If I were their age, I'd like to be their friend. Before that, Alagiah was the deputy anchor of the BBC One O'Clock News and BBC Nine O'Clock News from 1999. You can be right out there or in the background. During an interview with The Sunday Times in 2018, George said that his cancer was curable and could be discovered earlier. George, a specialist on Africa and the developing world, has conducted interviews with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, among others. BBC newsreader George Alagiah has said he thinks the cancer he has had since 2014 will "probably get me in the end", but that he still feels "very lucky". I am generally an optimistic person. His parents moved to Ghana in West Africa in 1961. 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.".