Chris Hoy's wife kept agonising secret from him and their children still don't know

Wales Online

13-07-2025

Chris Hoy's wife kept agonising secret from him and their children still don't know
The six-time Olympic champion cyclist was diagnosed with cancer in 2023 and announced last year that his condition was terminal, while his wife Sarra has also been battling ill health
Sarra Kemp (left), Sir Chris Hoy and Nicole Kidman at Wimbledon
(Image: 2025 Karwai Tang )
Sir Chris Hoy and his wife Sarra are in attendance at the men's singles final at Wimbledon today.
The pair were sat in the royal box alongside Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman, taking in the action as Yannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz locked horns on Centre Court in the blistering heat.
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Hoy has been keeping his social media followers updated on his various activities in recent months, posting videos of his cycle rides in Wales.
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It has, of course, been a heartbreaking year for the Olympian and his family.
Hoy recently candidly shared his experience of living with terminal cancer and discussed how he and his wife are managing family life while facing serious health challenges.
The celebrated six-time Olympic gold medallist cyclist was diagnosed with cancer in 2023 and revealed last year that his condition was terminal, following a scan that detected primary cancer in his prostate which had metastasised to his bones, including his shoulder, pelvis, ribs and spine. Doctors have given Hoy a prognosis of two to four years.
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In a heartbreaking turn of events, his wife Sarra was diagnosed with an aggressive form of multiple sclerosis (MS) shortly after Hoy's cancer diagnosis.
With two young children, Callum, aged 10, and Chloe, aged seven, Hoy has previously expressed the difficulty in communicating such news to them, labelling it as "an absolute horror" and "a waking nightmare".
Despite initial concerns about the effect of his public diagnosis on his children, the 49-year-old now believes that his illness is "not something that really scares them" and feels that his family is "in a nice spot".
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"Touch wood, it doesn't feel as though they've been massively affected by it," Hoy remarked to The Times, providing an update on his health situation last month. "They've always been a bit frustrated with people coming up, wanting a photograph of Daddy. Now they're like, 'Oh, is it because of the cancer?'
"I think they understand that cancer is part of our lives. It's not something that really scares them, they don't really talk about it much, it's just there."
While Callum and Chloe are aware of their father's illness, Hoy also disclosed that he and Sarra have chosen not to inform them about her MS diagnosis, stating that she "doesn't want the focus". In fact, Sarra initially kept her condition a secret from her husband as he grappled with his own health issues.
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The neurological disorder, which impacts the brain and spinal cord, is incurable but can be managed with treatment.
"She doesn't talk about it a massive amount," he said when asked how Sarra's condition had influenced their daily life. "I think she's just determined to try and not allow it to get its feet under the table. It fluctuates, so she gets good days and bad days.
"When the days are difficult, she doesn't ever admit to it, but clearly the thoughts are, 'Is this the start of a decline? Is this how it's going to be from now on?' It's just, it's very difficult, and she's so stoic and strong, and not willing to ask for sympathy."
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Regarding their decision not to tell their children, Hoy added: "They know that she's got sore hands sometimes, and I think that's about the extent of it.
"If it wasn't for my diagnosis, I think it would be getting a lot more attention, but she likes it that way. She doesn't want the focus, she just wants to crack on."
The Team GB legend has previously lauded his wife as "the epitome of selflessness", standing by him following his cancer diagnosis while simultaneously grappling with her own devastating health issues.
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In his autobiography, he recounts how she underwent a routine MRI scan just a week after his cancer diagnosis to investigate a tingling sensation in her face and tongue, but didn't speak of it for over a month.
"Then one evening in December, after our kids Callum and Chloe had gone to bed, Sarra looked serious and said she had something to tell me," he penned.
"I realised immediately it was something big as Sarra, always so strong in every situation, was beginning to crumble and struggling to get the words out. 'Do you remember that scan I went for?' she started through tear-filled eyes. 'Well, they think it might be multiple sclerosis'. I immediately broke down, distraught both by the news and the fact she'd received it without me there.
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"She went on to explain they had called her and told her over a month before. It was so hard to try to compute that she had absorbed the awfulness of this diagnosis alone, without sharing it with me, in order to protect me. I tried to let the words sink in as my mind was spinning, trying to understand what had been happening to her, all while she had been accompanying me to every one of my own hospital appointments."
He continued: "She is the epitome of selflessness, putting the kids and me before herself and always doing it through love not obligation. The future is a great unknown for us both now."
Reflecting on his feelings after receiving the terminal cancer diagnosis, Hoy shared: "Initially you feel you're never going to tell your kids off again. You want them to only remember you as the perfect father who always says yes if they want an ice cream, or yes if they get on the iPad, or whatever. And you realise that that phase is very short.
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"It feels like the family routine is as it was before, which I think is remarkable, really. That will definitely change, obviously, but I think for now we're just getting on with life, and it just feels like we're in a nice spot."