Television icon Jeremy Clarkson is courageously battling cancer. The “Top Gear” personality shared that he has been diagnosed with “aggressive” prostate cancer during the final two episodes of “Clarkson’s Farm” Season 5, which just dropped on Prime Video. Sitting down with his farm workers, Kaleb Cooper and Charlie Ireland, the 66-year-old revealed, “I’ve got cancer.”
Kaleb, clearly shocked by the announcement, replied, “No, you haven’t. Where?”
Jeremy replied, “Where it is, is of no concern of anybody. I’ve known since May.”
The TV presenter then said he expected to be “fine” but when he had undergone a medical examination in May, he had a biopsy that confirmed the diagnosis.
Jeremy Clarkson Discusses His Cancer Diagnosis
Recalling the time, he said, “I had a medical, you remember, back in May? I disappeared the other week, and I had a biopsy, and it is cancer, and it’s aggressive, but it’s really early, so the treatment will be, you know…”
“I was praying we could get the harvest done and then I could go and get some treatment but it’s going to be slap bang in the middle,” he adds.
An emotional Kaleb, wiping away tears, responded with emotional support for his employer and friend.
“Look after yourself, you go and do… if you need anything just ring,” he said to Clarkson.
Clarkson went on to say, “Listen, I’m not daft, it’s going to be in about two weeks, maybe three. I’ll have to go and have an operation and then, the operation is in and out in no time, but your body’s out of action for a little while.”
He noted that he “wasn’t thrilled” with the news.
Jeremy Clarkson’s Challenging Year
Later in the show, the presenter spoke about how the year had been particularly difficult while talking to Kaleb, his girlfriend Lisa, and two other employees.
“We started the year and I had coronary heart disease and ended it with me with cancer,” he explained, referencing earlier health challenges he had faced. Despite the serious nature of his health struggles, he attempted to maintain a positive perspective.
He continued, “We can dwell as much as we like on all the bad things that have happened on the farm, but I think it’s better now, at the end of the year, to focus on things that have happened that are good.”
When asked by Kaleb when they’d know if the treatments “worked,” Clarkson explains “there’ll be a blood test and then we’ll know. Not for another few weeks. Come on, cheer up, it probably did work.”
Jeremy Clarkson’s treatment and hospital stay
Clarkson revealed to Kaleb that, “The prostate, 10% of it’s dead, the 10% where the cancer is.”
Speaking from a hospital bed at the end of the season finale, Clarkson revealed about his condition and the complications he had experienced during treatment.
He said, “We started season five with me in a hospital bed and here we are at the end of season five and I’m back in a hospital bed.”
The 66-year-old then reflected on the future of the show. Clarkson concluded, “What I wanted to say was if this is all successful, I’ll see you for season six, and if it isn’t, I won’t. Take care, everyone.”
Prior to sharing the news, Clarkson hinted that the season wouldn’t be an easy one in a “somber” Instagram Reel. “Ordinarily, we try to keep the show light and cheerful, but the final two episodes are none of those things. They’re a difficult watch,” he said with tears in his eyes. “They’re really, really difficult.”
What We Know About Clarkson’s Farm
The series follows the long-time television presenter and his crew, navigating the challenges of running Diddly Squat Farm near Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire.
Clarkson decided to run his farm in 2019 and subsequently launch his popular reality series. Ever since then, he has become a vocal supporter of farmers and attended a protest in London against the Government’s move to introduce inheritance tax on farmland in November 2024. The sixth series of the show is scheduled to air in 2027.
