Lisa Hogan has said she is “really proud” of Jeremy Clarkson for publicly discussing his prostate cancer diagnosis, after an episode of Clarkson’s Farm prompted 30,000 people to seek advice from Prostate Cancer UK in a single day.
Clarkson, 66, had initially intended to keep his illness private. He changed his mind after recognising the potential benefit of raising awareness about the disease.
Hogan said the decision to include his cancer battle in the Amazon series had been a significant one for the former Top Gear presenter.
“I’m really happy he caught his prostate cancer early, and I’m really proud of him for putting it on the show, because that was a really big decision,” she told the Daily Star.
She had filmed Clarkson in hospital and said he initially asked her not to record him. Hogan told him the footage was only intended to show his friend, producer Andy Wilman, how he was recovering.
Wilman later persuaded Clarkson to share the emotional footage with viewers. Hogan said: “It was Andy Wilman who convinced him to do it, to help everybody else.”
Jeremy Clarkson’s prostate cancer diagnosis
Hogan said Clarkson had also found it difficult at first to discuss his diagnosis with male friends, but that speaking to those who had experienced the same illness had helped 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.
Clarkson was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer in May 2025. He later revealed that he was in remission after having 10 per cent of his prostate removed as part of his treatment.
Hogan described the diagnosis as a “terrible worry” and encouraged him to talk about it with friends. Clarkson also shared the news with his farm workers, including Kaleb Cooper and Charlie Ireland, during an emotional scene in the latest series.
Gerald Cooper, the 77-year-old drystone wall builder featured on Clarkson’s Farm, had his own prostate cancer diagnosis discussed in the third series. He is now cancer-free following widespread support from viewers.
Clarkson had undergone another serious health scare before his cancer diagnosis. In October 2024, he was taken to hospital after becoming clammy and experiencing tightness in his chest, requiring emergency surgery to insert a stent and open an artery near his heart.
Hogan said the operation lasted almost three hours rather than the usual 50 minutes and came close to becoming open-heart surgery. She added that treatment at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford had helped restore him to “really good” health.
Clarkson continues to have regular check-ups and, if all goes well, will not require further treatment. Despite his health problems, Hogan said he had made no major lifestyle changes and was still working harder than ever on the farm.
He has also welcomed being able to work close to home after years of travelling for Top Gear and The Grand Tour. Hogan moved to Oxford with him in 2019 and works on merchandise for Diddly Squat Farm, including Ravensburger jigsaw puzzles which she said sold out within days.
The sixth season of Clarkson’s Farm is due to air next summer on Amazon Prime.
