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AA Gill and Nicola Formby in 2004
# Health
Restaurant critic AA Gill reveals he has 'the full English of cancer' in column
The 62-year-old writer now plans on marrying his partner of 23 years.
AA GILL, THE well-known Sunday Times restaurant critic has revealed a cancer diagnosis in his weekly column today.
“I’ve got cancer. Sorry to drop that onto the breakfast table apropos of nothing at all…” he writes.
“In truth, I’ve got an embarrassment of cancer, the full English.
“There is barely a morsel of offal that is not included. I have a trucker’s gut-buster, gimpy, malevolent, meaty malignancy.”
The 62-year-old tells his readers that he can no longer travel on trains, boats, buses or planes. He cannot drive, however he jokes that this is nothing to do with the cancer.
“I’ve been banned from riding a bike — even on grass, added the oncologist unkindly,” he continues.
He was diagnosed during the summer after noticing that he had lost weight, was having difficulties completing physical activities and suffering with a pain in his neck.
The cancer is understood to be smoking related and has spread from his lungs to his spine. The prognosis is uncertain.
Gill gave up alcohol when he was 30 years old and quit smoking 15 years ago.
In an interview in the same paper with journalist Bryan Appleyard, Gill also confirmed he is to marry his partner of 23 years, Nicola Formby.
“I was so unprepared for how fantastically elated I felt. After 23 years I really felt as if I was 16,” he said.
The couple have nine-year-old twins. Gill is also father to two adult children from a previous marriage to Amber Rudd, the UK’s home secretary.
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