Jeremy Clarkson’s prostate cancer revelation sees fourfold increase in people checking to see if they’re at risk
Jeremy Clarkson’s prostate cancer revelation has seen a four-fold increase in the number of men seeking advice and checking to see if they are at risk of the disease.
The television star’s diagnosis was revealed in the last episode of the latest series Clarkson’s FarmOn Wednesday, Prostate Cancer England saw the number of visitors to its risk checker rise from an average of 1,200 to 4,800.
Web traffic to the charity’s site was 65 per cent higher at midday, and views on social media posts were nine times higher.
Charity Tackle Prostate Cancer saw a 12 percent increase in new users accessing the site on Wednesday.
Chiara De Biase, director of fundraising and health strategy at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “We want to thank Jeremy for sharing his prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment at Clarkson Farm, raising vital awareness for the millions of men and families who watched.”
Prostate cancer has become the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK after television presenters Bill Turnbull and Stephen Fry went public with their diagnoses in 2018.
The NHS saw a 1,000 per cent increase in visits to its website after King Charles shared his diagnosis of an enlarged prostate; David Cameron’s diagnosis announcement, however, saw more than 22,562 people visit the risk checker; This means an increase of 937 percent.
Professor Peter Johnson, NHS national cancer clinical director, said: “Jeremy’s decision to talk about his prostate cancer diagnosis could help save lives.
“His honesty has already resulted in a huge increase in the number of people seeking information and may encourage some men who would not normally talk about their health to come forward and get checked.
“We know coming forward for prostate checks can be daunting, but it could save your life, so I would encourage men to see their GP as soon as possible if they have concerns.”
In the episode aired on Tuesday, Mr Clarkson, 66, revealed that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer that developed in his prostate gland.
He explained that after a medical examination, he was given a biopsy and was told the cancer was aggressive, but was caught at a “really early” stage.
“I’ll be here for a while,” he said from his hospital bed. “I don’t know what will happen.
“What I’m saying is, if these are successful, I’ll see you in season six, if not, I won’t,” he said. “Everybody take care of yourself.”
In the year following former athletics cyclist Sir Chris Hoy’s announcement, more than a million people visited Prostate Cancer UK’s online risk check, with more than 80 per cent of them at higher risk.
Each year in the UK an average of 64,000 men will be diagnosed and more than 12,000 will die; making it one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in the UK.
Ms De Biase said: “Any men concerned about Jeremy’s story should use our 30-second online risk checker or chat to their doctor about a quick and simple blood test to check for any symptoms.”
