Chris Hoy: Chats with Dermot Murnaghan help us both cope with cancer
The six-times Olympic gold medallist revealed last year that he has stage 4 prostate cancer and the former BBC and Sky News presenter Murnaghan has been diagnosed with the same illness.
Murnaghan, 67, said Hoy was one of the first people to call him after he had received the news and he has described the former cyclist's support as a 'mental lifeline'.
Hoy, 49, from Edinburgh, has now told how the pair have formed a close friendship through their shared experience. Speaking on his Sporting Misadventures podcast, Hoy said: 'A good friend of mine, Dermot Murnaghan, came out in the media with the same situation as me — stage 4 prostate cancer.
'I have been in touch with him a fair bit as he has been receiving treatment over the past few months. It's weird because you don't wish it on anybody but once you know somebody who is in a similar situation to you then hopefully it helps him.
'It certainly has helped me having someone to talk to who is experiencing the same things and sadly has that unique perspective on the whole situation.
• Sir Chris Hoy: Living in fear of cancer spoils the moment. Instead I have hope
'I hope Dermot is doing all right because it is not easy when you finally go public with it. The reaction from that can be quite overwhelming.'
He added: 'When you receive a really bad health diagnosis you feel incredibly isolated and alone regardless of being surrounded by family and friends and medical support.
'It's terrifying and when you speak to somebody who is going through it then they have a perspective that you can learn from. If they are positive then suddenly you think 'well, maybe I can be positive too'.
'Whenever I speak to anyone who is in a similar situation I try to be positive to give them a sign that not every day of your life is going to be as bad as the diagnosis day. You get past that.'
Murnaghan was diagnosed after being taken ill on a trip to southeast Asia with his wife. He experienced symptoms such as not being able to get out of bed and was in agony by the time he landed in the UK, after which he got a taxi to A&E.
• Sir Chris Hoy's wife Sarra: 'Illness will not define us'
The veteran news host has announced his intention to take part in Hoy's Tour de 4 charity bike ride, which aims 'to change perceptions around stage 4 cancer' after the Olympic champion's own diagnosis. The charity ride will take place in Glasgow in September.
Hoy was diagnosed with cancer in September 2023 and revealed in October last year that his condition was terminal.
A scan found primary cancer in his prostate, which had spread to his bones including his shoulder, pelvis, ribs and spine, with doctors giving him between two and four years left to live.
Since his diagnosis, Hoy has become a campaigner for improved screening for prostate cancer. He released a memoir called All That Matters which documents his life since his cancer diagnosis.
Just before his tumour was discovered, his wife Sarra had undergone scans that would later show she had multiple sclerosis.
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