Sir Chris Hoy has opened up about the most devastating moment of his cancer battle – being told he could no longer lift his six-year-old daughter, Chloe.
The six-time Olympic cycling champion, who revealed last year he is battling terminal stage four prostate cancer, shared on the Mid Point podcast that his spine fractured due to secondary tumours burrowing deep into his bones.
“When they saw the scans, the doctors immediately said, ‘You can’t lift anything – not even your kids,’” he recalled. “Being told I couldn’t pick up my daughter – that was horrendous. It was the moment I realised this illness was really changing my life.”
Doctors performed a procedure to inject a cement-like material into his fractured vertebrae, a treatment that allowed him to regain mobility. “They basically drill into the vertebrae and fill it – it sets and fuses the bone,” he explained. “Now, I’m back to lifting weights.”
Chris, 48, said the experience gave him a renewed appreciation for everyday moments. “When something’s taken away from you, even briefly, you realise just how valuable it is,” he said. “Just like losing your wallet and finding it again – you’re so grateful.”
He also spoke emotionally about how he and his wife, Sarra, carefully planned how to break the news to their young children, Callum and Chloe. “From the moment I was diagnosed, our biggest worry was telling the kids. We approached it methodically, made sure we stayed upbeat.”
Chris said they avoided a formal sit-down and instead told their children casually in the kitchen, trying to keep the tone light. His son Callum’s main concern? That his dad might suddenly go bald. “He was genuinely worried that I’d drop him off with hair in the morning and be bald by pick-up time,” Chris laughed.
Despite the heartbreak and grim prognosis — he’s been given two to four years to live — Chris’s strength, love for his family, and Olympic spirit continue to shine through.
