Emily Clarkson has shared a poignant quote from her father, Jeremy Clarkson, in which he makes an urgent plea for men to undergo prostate cancer checks, as she marked his recovery from the disease.
Writing on social media, the author and podcaster posted her father’s words: “This is why I have to say to everybody who’s reading this, please, please, please go and get checked. It’s not uncomfortable, it’s not undignified, and it’s a no-brainer.” The message, which originally featured in an interview, forms part of the former Top Gear presenter’s campaign to encourage early detection after he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer in May 2025.
The diagnosis and treatment
Jeremy Clarkson, now 66, disclosed his diagnosis during the filming of the fifth series of his Prime Video documentary Clarkson’s Farm. The cancer was caught at a “really early stage” after a routine medical check-up and subsequent biopsy. He underwent an operation to remove the portion of his prostate where the tumour was located — approximately ten per cent of the gland.
Treatment was not without complications. Clarkson later revealed that he resumed blood-thinning medication for a pre-existing heart condition without consulting a doctor, an error that triggered “a very big emergency in the middle of the night”. The series finale showed him back in a hospital bed, where he said: “Some of the treatment has gone a bit awry, let’s say.” He ultimately opted for high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) to treat the cancer.
Remission and the imperative to get checked
Clarkson announced that he is now in remission from prostate cancer. A follow-up PSA test conducted two months before his announcement showed no remaining signs of the disease. He described himself as “without a doubt, officially, the world’s luckiest man” and expressed optimism about continuing to farm Diddly Squat in Oxfordshire “for many, many years to come”.
It is the health message that he has repeated most forcefully. “This is why I have to say to everybody who’s reading this, please, please, please go and get checked,” he said, stressing that a simple blood test can detect the disease. He highlighted that “10,000, 12,000 people, men, to be honest, men, die every year in the UK from prostate cancer”. Cancer Research UK data shows that around one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, with approximately 57,900 new cases diagnosed each year in the UK.
His daughter Emily has reinforced the plea, tagging Prostate Cancer UK in her social media post. Clarkson has also formed an informal support group with two other well-known figures who have had prostate cancer — former Prime Minister David Cameron and food writer Giles Coren — who meet for lunch periodically. Cameron has noted that many people have told him they got checked because of the public disclosures of their diagnoses.
The cancer battle follows a previous health scare in October 2024, when Clarkson underwent emergency heart surgery to insert two stents after discovering blocked coronary arteries. At the time he said he was “days away from death”.
Emily Clarkson accompanied her father’s quote with a black-and-white photograph of the two of them embracing, each holding a drink. The image underscores the personal, emotional weight behind a message that has already prompted men across the country to seek the check that Clarkson insists is “a no-brainer”.