Sir Chris Hoy’s wife Sarra details heartbreaking health struggles: ‘Everything is awful’

Sir Chris Hoy’s wife, Lady Sarra Hoy, has spoken candidly about her family’s resilience in the face of immense challenges following the Olympian’s cancer diagnosis and her journey with multiple sclerosis (MS). 

Six-time Olympic champion Sir Chris was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer in 2023, and revealed in October 2024 that it was terminal. 

Appearing on Monday’s Lorraine, Lady Sarra – who lives with MS – opened up about their health struggles in her first interview as part of the ITV chat show’s March4March campaign. 

When asked how she was coping, she responded: “Really well, thank you. There’s another version of my life where I’m still unaware that something is trundling on. 

“Here and now, I’m really lucky. We’ve been unlucky in a very small area of our lives. The rest, we are surrounded by wonderful people.” 

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Discussing Chris’ strength after being diagnosed with Stage 4 prostate cancer, Sarra said: “He’s been used to doing hard things and dealing with pressure but at the time it didn’t feel like anything similar. It felt really like everything had been stripped down.”

Lorraine said: “The way you have [both] dealt with this horrific situation really, it has helped so many people. Does that give you a little bit of comfort do you think?” 

To which, Sarra replied: “I think it does and I think everyone can identify and maybe that’s why people have picked us up into their arms quite a lot because they know what pain is and they can identify with it.”

Lady Sarra reflected on the moment when she learnt of their diagnoses, saying: “You just don’t sleep, everything is awful. It was about trying to control what I could, and I just thought, I can’t do anything about cancer, I can’t do anything about MS [Multiple Sclerosis], I can’t control any of that. What can I do? What can I help? What can I change?” 

The couple, who have been married since 2010, are doting parents to two children; Chloe and Callum. 

She continued: “When everything is spiralling just to stop and say, ‘Right now, we’re safe, the children are safe, this can’t define us. We will not become the victims of this.’ 

“With kids you don’t get a chance, there’s no time to stop and have a day in bed, you just don’t get that opportunity. So yes, the children are everything for us and our family that surrounds us are everything.”

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Opening up about her own unexpected illness and how she didn’t immediately tell Chris, Sarra admitted: “It did almost feel a bit like the final straw but then equally so surreal, that it was some ways easier to deal with my diagnosis because I could just say well I have to just put that to the side right now… 

“The only person I wanted to tell and get support from was him [Chris]. I’ve never ever held a secret like that at all, but it was literally six weeks, when the diagnosis came, after his, and I just knew it wasn’t the right time.”

Last year, in his interview with the Sunday Times, Chris spoke frankly about his diagnosis, explaining how it’s “just part of the process.” 

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“As unnatural as it feels, this is nature… You know, we were all born and we all die, and this is just part of the process” he said. “You remind yourself, aren’t I lucky that there is medicine I can take that will fend this off for as long as possible.” 

The father-of-two added: “Hand on heart, I’m pretty positive most of the time and I have genuine happiness. 

“This is bigger than the Olympics. It’s bigger than anything. This is about appreciating life and finding joy.” 

After Sir Chris revealed his diagnosis, the charity Prostate Scotland credited an increased awareness of the disease to the former cyclist’s “openness,” and said there had been “record spikes” in visits to its webpages.