Paul Hollywood’s estranged wife Alex reveals that she has been diagnosed with cancer

paul hollywood wife alex skin cancer diagnosis
(Image credit: Getty)

Paul Hollywood’s estranged wife Alex has revealed that she has been diagnosed with cancer.

The cook and author, who announced her split from TV chef husband Paul Hollywood back in 2017, took to social media to share the worrying news with her nearly 7,000 followers, encouraging them to be more aware of the risk factors of cancer.

Informing her followers that only a couple of weeks ago her doctor diagnosed her with BCC (Basal Cell Carcinoma), a type of skin cancer, Alex said that her doctor had caught it early enough to be able to get rid of it and all that was left was a couple of marks on her skin.

In a candid video, the 54-year-old said that, while she was in two minds about whether to open up about the personal issue on Instagram, she wanted to assure people that getting checked for cancer is nothing to worry about, as after having a quick surgery ‘everything’s going to go back to normal.’

A photo posted by on

‘I just want to say to you, if you notice anything unusual about your skin, any marks that won’t go away, any moles that change shape go and get them checked out.

‘If you get them checked out and dealt with straightaway, you’ve got nothing to worry about. There is nothing to be scared of – it can be dealt with’.

‘So here’s the thing,’ she captioned her post, ‘I wanted you lot to see this because I know that we’re all scared of the C’ word.

‘I’m lucky, this is no big deal,’ she continued, ‘but it’s a bit of a wake up call and payback for those years I spent poolside and mucking around in boats as a Scuba Instructer, in and out of the water with little or no sunscreen!

‘We all need to be more self aware, so with that in mind - I really hope you’ll all have a good look at yourselves tonight in the bathroom mirror - and if you’re not sure about something .. go see your GP!’

We wish Alex a full and swift recovery!

Aleesha Badkar
Lifestyle Writer

Aleesha Badkar is a lifestyle writer who specialises in health, beauty - and the royals. After completing her MA in Magazine Journalism at the City, the University of London in 2017, she interned at Women’s Health, Stylist, and Harper’s Bazaar, creating features and news pieces on health, beauty, and fitness, wellbeing, and food. She loves to practice what she preaches in her everyday life with copious amounts of herbal tea, Pilates, and hyaluronic acid.