Food critic Giles Coren has announced he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The BBC star announced the heartbreaking news on Friday, revealing he learned of the diagnosis at exactly 9.30am on Wednesday this week. Writing in The Times, he said he first got tested a few years ago after taking notice of the huge issue when celebrities Stephen Fry and Bill Turnbull both announced their diagnoses. Giles received a prostate-specific antigen test result of four, which is considered as 'abnormal and facing imminent death'. His doctor told him his prostate cancer is a 'slow cancer' which 'all men get' if they live long enough. He was sent for an MRI scan but refused a biopsy when the result came back inconclusive.

Writing in his column, the former presenter of Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby, said he soon agreed to an examination at the Royal Free Hospital in North London. Before then, his score increased to six and then seven. This was from the original ruling of four. Doctors found less than a millimetre of cancer in just three of the 21 samples he provided. His cancer, which was described as a malign tumour, would not need treatment for the time being but he was told it would be monitored for growth. Giles is a columnist, food writer and TV presenter. He has been a critic for The Times since 2002 and was even named Food and Drink Writer of the Year at the British Press Awards in 2005.

Giles was born in Paddington and is the only son of Alan Coren, a journalist and humorist. He is also the older brother of comedian and star Victoria Coren Mitchell. According to Prostate Cancer UK, 1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime. The website states: "The cancer mainly affects men over 50, and your risk increases with age. The risk is even higher for black men and men with a family history of prostate cancer.".

In England, more than 44,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year, with more than 10,000 men dying from it every year. Currently, more than 440,000 men are living with and after prostate cancer in England. If you have been affected by this story, advice and support can be found at Macmillan Cancer Support and Prostate Cancer UK. * This is a breaking showbiz news story. Join The Mirror ’s WhatsApp Community or follow us on Google News, Flipboard, Apple News, TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads - or visit The Mirror homepage.