Writer AA Gill has revealed he has "an embarrassment of cancer, the full English", announcing the diagnosis in his regular Table Talk restaurant review column in the Sunday Times.
The 62-year-old food critic said the cancer began in his lungs and spread to numerous other parts of his body.
"There is barely a morsel of offal that is not included. I have a trucker's gut-buster, gimpy, malevolent, meaty, malignancy," he wrote.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
While the prognosis is unclear at present, doctors at Charing Cross Hospital in London say chemotherapy has shrunk some of the cancer and they may try a new experimental drug to further fight the disease.
However, despite the ambiguous prognosis, Gill told his Sunday Times colleague Bryan Appleyard: "I realise I don't have a bucket list; I don't feel I've been cheated of anything. I'd like to have gone to Timbuktu, and there are places I will be sorry not to see again."
The father of four added the disease had prompted him to propose to his partner of 23 years, Nicola Formby.
Gill has been praised for speaking openly about the disease. Martin Ledwick, the head nurse at Cancer Research UK, told The Guardian: "Although over recent years attitudes have begun to change, cancer is still a subject that people find difficult to discuss. When people in the public eye are open about their cancer diagnosis it can be extremely helpful in demonstrating that it is OK to talk about it."
-
Quentin Deranque: a student’s death energizes the French far rightIN THE SPOTLIGHT Reactions to the violent killing of an ultra-conservative activist offer a glimpse at the culture wars roiling France ahead of next year’s elections.
-
Secured vs. unsecured loans: how do they differ and which is better?the explainer They are distinguished by the level of risk and the inclusion of collateral
-
‘States that set ambitious climate targets are already feeling the tension’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
The truth about vitamin supplementsThe Explainer UK industry worth £559 million but scientific evidence of health benefits is ‘complicated’
-
Covid-19 mRNA vaccines could help fight cancerUnder the radar They boost the immune system
-
Deadly fungus tied to a pharaoh's tomb may help fight cancerUnder the radar A once fearsome curse could be a blessing
-
'Poo pills' and the war on superbugsThe Explainer Antimicrobial resistance is causing millions of deaths. Could a faeces-filled pill change all that?
-
The Y chromosome degrades over time. And men's health is paying for itUnder the radar The chromosome loss is linked to cancer and Alzheimer's
-
A bacterial toxin could be contributing to the colorectal cancer rise in young peopleUnder the radar Most exposure occurs in childhood
-
Why are more young people getting bowel cancer?The Explainer Alarming rise in bowel-cancer diagnoses in under-50s is puzzling scientists
-
Five medical breakthroughs of 2024The Explainer The year's new discoveries for health conditions that affect millions
