They fight together against serious illnesses.

“I have cancer and my wife is also seriously ill”

The moving fate of a cycling legend not only touches the hearts of the sporting world – it moves people far beyond its borders.

20 April 2025

From: det

He's a six-time Olympic champion, won countless World Championship medals, and is a legend in British sport: track cycling star Chris Hoy has left his mark, that much is clear. But now the 49-year-old's moving fate is causing a stir, far beyond the boundaries of the sporting world.

Last fall, Chris Hoy revealed: "I have terminal prostate cancer. It's an incurable disease, and the doctors give me two to four years to live." But that wasn't the only blow to the cycling legend during that time. Shortly before, his wife Sarra was also diagnosed with a serious illness. The 45-year-old suffers from an aggressive form of multiple sclerosis, as Hoy now reveals in a Times-Interview explained.

Chris Hoy is a cycling legend. © AFP / WILLIAM WEST

Last Thursday, the couple celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary. An Instagram video features several photos of the couple, still as in love as they were on the first day. And now fighting together. Also, or especially, for their two children, Callum (born in 2014) and Chloe (born in 2017). "We support each other when one of us is in trouble," says Hoy.

Encourage each other

The cycling star further explains: "When I'm down, she's strong and doesn't waver. She helps me change my perspective and makes me feel better. When she's not feeling well, I try to build her up. It's rare that we're both down at the same time—usually it's just one of us. It's an unspoken rule."

Fighting together: Chris Hoy and his wife Sarra. © AFP / HENRY NICHOLLS

Hoy faces the incurable disease with great courage. Physically, he feels increasingly better since his last chemotherapy, but mentally, it's sometimes a struggle. "I try to take everything with composure and gratitude, but sometimes it's very difficult. The only real strategy is to live from day to day, even from hour to hour."