'Jeremy Clarkson effect': Cancer charity experienced surge in website traffic after former Top Gear host revealed diagnosis

Jeremy Clarkson's decision to share his prostate cancer diagnosis on Clarkson's Farm triggered an extraordinary public response, with 30,000 people visiting the Prostate Cancer UK website within a single day of the episode airing.

According to his partner of nine years, Lisa Hogan, the former Top Gear host was initially reluctant to broadcast his health battle. She told The Daily Star Sunday: "When I was filming him in hospital at first, he said, 'Please don't'."

It was the show's producer, Andy Wilman, who ultimately persuaded Clarkson to include the footage, Ms Hogan revealed.

"It was Andy Wilman who convinced him to do it, to help everybody else," she said, adding: "I'm really proud of him for putting it on the show, because that was a really big decision."

Mr Clarkson's cancer journey began with a routine blood test in May last year, which flagged abnormally elevated levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA).

Doctors subsequently administered the Stockholm3 test — a more sensitive diagnostic tool costing £99 — which indicated a high likelihood of prostate cancer.

Further investigation confirmed the diagnosis, revealing an aggressive form of the disease.

The presenter underwent surgery to have a tumour removed and was later declared to be in remission, which he made public in June.

"I am without a doubt, officially, the world's luckiest man," Mr Clarkson told The Sunday Times at the time.

The Stockholm3 test has been shown to identify more than double the number of aggressive cancers compared with conventional screening methods.

That test, which has been available through private providers since 2023, is now set to be offered to up to 10,000 men between the ages of 45 and 74.

The announcement comes amid mounting frustration over the obstacles facing men seeking prostate cancer testing in Britain. Despite being the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the country, prostate cancer has no national screening programme.

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A campaign has urged the Government to extend targeted screening to men who face a heightened risk of developing the disease. Those groups include black men, individuals with a family history of prostate cancer and men who carry high-risk genetic markers.

Mr Clarkson himself has lobbied ministers to establish a formal screening programme following his own experience.

Ms Hogan also spoke about the personal toll of the diagnosis, describing it as "a terrible worry", but said she had encouraged Clarkson to open up to those closest to him.

"He didn't want to initially, but he's got lots of friends who've been through the same thing and he's been talking to them about it. I think that's really helped," she said.

Mr Clarkson has also found common ground with former prime minister Lord David Cameron, revealing the pair shared a lunch to discuss their respective prostate cancer diagnoses.

He recounted: "He said the number of people who come up to him is mostly in public conveniences and say, if you hadn't owned up to it, I wouldn't have got checked, and they wouldn't have found it."

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