Gary Lineker opens up on son's cancer battle saying 'he wasn't given much chance'

Gary Lineker has bravely shared details about his son's battle with cancer, revealing that initially he "wasn't given much chance", during an interview on ITV's The Assembly.

The former footballer, 64, is among the celebrities featured in the new four-part series of The Assembly, a show where stars are interviewed by a panel of autistic, neurodivergent or learning disabled individuals, with no subject considered taboo.

Gary was questioned about his feelings when his eldest son George was diagnosed with cancer as an infant. The father-of-four became visibly emotional as he recalled the incredibly challenging period.

"That was really tough - it changes you," he confessed. "He was only two months old. We were told he had leukaemia, he wasn't given much chance.

"It was truly dreadful. We spent around seven months in the hospital with him," Gary continued. "But we were the fortunate ones, because there were other parents there who lost their children so we felt quite lucky in the end. It was really frightening."

Gary has four sons, George, Tobias, Harry and Angus, with his ex-wife Michelle, from whom he separated in 2006 after two decades of marriage, reports the Mirror.

The sports commentator reflected on how he and ex Michelle dealt with George's cancer diagnosis, also adding: "I felt I needed to talk about it. Michelle, she would keep things inside. But in the end, we got a good outcome."

Elsewhere in The Assembly, Gary opened up about his suspension from the BBC in 2023, revealing that although the media chaos "upset" him, the overwhelming support from his colleagues was a silver lining.

"It was a crazy week and it upset me," he confessed. "I had all the press outside my house every minute of the day, for about five/six days. It got a bit silly but it was actually also lovely because the backing I got from the people I work with was beautiful."

In 2023, Gary found himself at the centre of controversy after being taken off Match of The Day following claims he had violated BBC's impartiality guidelines by tweeting criticism of the government's immigration policy.

Colleagues such as Ian Wright, Alan Shearer, and Micah Richards rallied around Gary, vowing to not appear on MOTD during his suspension, showing a united front.

The contentious week ended with Gary's return to MOTD and a statement from Tim Davie, the Director-General of the BBC, emphasising the organisation's dedication to "commitment to impartiality" and "freedom of expression".

The Assembly: Gary Lineker airs Sunday 11th May at 10pm on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player