Television presenter Henry Cole has revealed he has been diagnosed with gut cancer and is postponing his upcoming live tour to undergo surgery.
The 62-year-old broadcaster, best known for hosting The Motorbike Show on ITV4, shared the diagnosis with fans in a video recorded while filming the latest series of his television show.
Cole explained that the cancer was caught early and is localized in his gut, with doctors expecting him to make a full recovery following an operation.
"I've just got a little announcement OK, and that is, I'm terribly sorry," Cole said in the Instagram clip. "I'm going to have to move the gigs this side of Christmas, the live shows to after Christmas when we'll rebook them."
He added: "I'll tell you why that is, it's because I've got a little bit of the cancer, OK? Down in my little gut here. It's localised, it's easy to operate on, and thank gosh we found it."
The presenter reassured followers that his recovery is expected to go well over the coming months. "So, I am told, God willing, that I will make a full recovery, and I'll come up smiling around February, but please folks, please understand I'm so sorry I didn't obviously mean that to happen, but in the meantime, filming, look!"
Cole confirmed that filming for his television show remains unaffected by the diagnosis. "Filming is not affected, but whatever happens, God sometimes does a small poo in your man bag doesn't he," he said. "But we're gonna be OK, and also whatever life throws at you, you've got to grow old disgracefully, I'll update you as I go. Lots of love!"
Support and television career
Following his announcement, Cole received messages of support from friends and colleagues across the entertainment industry, including actress Elizabeth Hurley.
Hurley, who starred in Cole's 1995 feature film Mad Dogs and Englishmen, left a comment on his post reading: "I love you ❤️❤️."
Cole began his media career working as a news cameraman and director before founding his own independent production company.
Over his decades in television, he has fronted numerous motorcycle and restoration series, including World's Greatest Motorcycle Rides, The Motorbike Show, Shed and Buried, Junk & Disorderly, and Find It, Fix It, Flog It.
ITV is the premier commercial television network in the United Kingdom, while ITV4 is its digital channel focusing on sports, action, and factual entertainment. Cole shares two sons, Charlie and Tom, with his wife Janie.
Past addiction battle
Cole has previously spoken about his past personal struggles, including a five-year battle with heroin addiction during his early career as a cameraman before getting clean in 1988.
In a 2019 interview with The Telegraph, a major British national newspaper, Cole detailed the downward spiral he suffered during his time working as a news cameraman.
"I was spending £250 a day on heroin, drawing on my overdraft and what I could bleed from my little company," Cole said. "Luckily, I hadn't signed any personal guarantees."
He described becoming severely isolated during the late 1980s as his addiction worsened. "In the late Eighties I became a virtual recluse. I couldn't even face going out to get drugs and had them delivered by dispatch riders at a cost of £7,000 a year," he recalled. "Weirdly, the only people I ever saw were Luke and Matt Goss from the pop band Bros, who lived in the flat upstairs."
Bros were one of Britain's biggest pop groups of the late 1980s, led by twin brothers Luke and Matt Goss, who achieved massive UK chart success with hits such as "When Will I Be Famous?".
Cole added: "I went into a serious mental decline and stopped paying the mortgage on the flat I shared with my then girlfriend, who left me. Not long after several failed suicide attempts, my belongings were repossessed."
Looking ahead
Despite his scheduled surgery, Cole told fans that production on the latest series of his ITV4 show will continue without interruption.
He promised to keep his followers updated on his health journey as he prepares to rebook his live theatre shows for after Christmas.
