Edinburgh’s Chris Hoy and his wife, Sarra Hoy, are battling with their health
Sarra Kemp, Sir Chris Hoy and Nicole Kidman in the Royal Box for the Gentlemen’s Singles Final on Centre Court during the Wimbledon(Image: Tim Clayton/Getty Images)
Lady Sarra Hoy, wife of Olympian, Sir Chris Hoy, has a “very active and aggressive” form of multiple sclerosis (MS) – news that came shortly after her husband was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
MS is a condition that affects the brain and spinal cord. It cannot currently be cured, but treatment can help manage it.
Sharing her symptoms on ITV’s This Morning in November 2024, she said that at first, she worried she might need dental work. But soon realised it was far more serious.
Sarra recalled: “I had some tingling on my face, just a change in sensation. I thought it was a root canal, and I was sending you [Chris] messages, panicking about some sort of dental treatment.
“Never in a million years, I mean, I’ve been so healthy – we both have all of our lives – it’s not like it suddenly answered questions of things that have been going on for years. Not at all.
“The doctor said we’ll just do an MRI to see what’s going on. Popping along to the doctor, I thought they were going to satisfy me and say we’ll keep an eye on it. I never in a million years thought that they would be saying those words.”
Sarra didn’t tell Chris
Sarra and Chris received their diagnoses within a short space of each other, but she kept hers hidden from him. Sarra, who became an ambassador for neonatal charity Bliss after the premature birth of their son Callum, explained: “It came completely out of the blue. I just knew it wasn’t the right time.
“I would always tell Chris everything, and we’re each other’s crutch in everything in life, so it was very against the grain not to share it with him. But I just knew it wasn’t the right time.
“We were trying to find stable ground, having just been given this [cancer] diagnosis from him. I think you get a bit of mum strength. In amongst the fear, I just felt this incredible sense of courage come over me.”
What are the symptoms of multiple sclerosis?
According to the NHS, the signs and symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) may include:
- feeling extremely tired (fatigue)
- problems with your eyes or your vision, such as blurred vision or eye pain
- numbness or a tingling feeling in different parts of the body
- feeling off balance, dizzy or clumsy (uncoordinated)
- muscle cramps, spasms and stiffness
- needing to pee more often or not being able to control when you pee
- problems with memory or concentration
- sexual problems, including a dry vagina or erection problems
The NHS notes that symptoms may come and go. This is called “flare-ups” or “relapses”, which can go (called “remissions”), and it may get worse over time.
Watch the full interview here
In their first interview together, Chris and Sarra spoke about the tough year their family had. Chris, one of Britain’s most successful Olympians, has stage 4 terminal cancer and has been told he may have two to four years to live, while Sarra has been raising awareness of multiple sclerosis. Ahead of his book All That Matters, they said they’re staying positive and taking things one day at a time. You can watch this interview in full on YouTube here.
If you or someone you know is living with MS, you can find help and support on the MS Society website here, as they aim to fund world-leading research.
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