Sir Chris Hoy, one of Britain’s most celebrated Olympians, has revealed that his wife Sarra selflessly hid her own multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis while he was undergoing treatment for stage 4 prostate cancer.
In his memoir All That Matters: My Toughest Race Yet, Hoy shared that Sarra began experiencing strange sensations in her face and tongue just one week after his diagnosis. A routine MRI revealed signs of MS — a degenerative condition affecting the brain and spinal cord.
Despite the life-altering news, Sarra chose not to tell Chris immediately. Instead, she continued to support him through his cancer treatments, showing strength and composure that left him in awe.
Chris recalled the heartbreaking moment in December when Sarra, with tears in her eyes, finally told him about her diagnosis: “They think it might be multiple sclerosis.” Shocked and devastated, he broke down in tears — not only from the news but from knowing she had faced it alone for over a month just to protect him.
“She’s the strongest person I know,” Chris wrote. “She took this in quietly, while being by my side for every appointment. I was floored by her courage.”
Later that same month, Sarra was told her MS was “very active and aggressive,” requiring urgent treatment. Yet, she remained focused on Chris’s recovery.
The couple, who met in 2006 and married in 2010, have two children together. Chris described Sarra as “the center of my life,” and said he knew from the moment he met her that she was everything he’d ever wanted.
Sarra has since received an outpouring of support after Chris’s cancer diagnosis became public. She posted on social media thanking everyone for their kind messages and called Chris her “real-life superhero.”
