F1 legend Eddie Jordan has revealed he is battling ‘aggressive’ cancer after being diagnosed earlier this year.
The team principal turned pundit announced he has prostate and bladder cancer, which he said had spread over the past few months.
Jordan, 76, said he had been going through some ‘dark days’ and urged people to go out and get tested.
Speaking on his Formula For Success podcast, which he co-hosts with David Coulthard, Jordan said: ‘We’ve kind of alluded to it David, over the shows. Way back in March and April, I was diagnosed with bladder and prostate cancer.
‘And then it spread into the spine and the pelvis, so it was quite aggressive. And we’ve all heard about our wonderful friend Sir Chris Hoy, who is an absolute megastar, and he [was] coming out and talking about illness such as like what I’ve got, but he’s a far younger man.
‘But this is a little message for all the anchors and everybody listening to this: don’t wait or put it off.
‘Go and get tested, because in life you’ve got chances and there is so much medical advice out there and so many things that you can do to extend your lifetime. Go and do it.
‘Don’t be stupid, don’t be shy. It’s not a shy thing – look after your body, guys.’
Eddie Jordan – seen here at the F1 Grand Prix of Italy last year – has announced he has prostate and bladder cancer
The F1 legend revealed the sad news on his podcast, Formula For Success
Jordan attending Royal Ascot in 2012 with his wife, Marie Jordan
After driving in F2, F3 and Formula Atlantic, Jordan ran a Formula One team under his own name from 1991 to 2005.
The Irishman is renowned for giving Michael Schumacher his F1 debut in 1991.
His team was eventually sold in 2005 and rebranded as MF1 Racing, but Jordan began a career as a pundit for BBC Sport’s Grand Prix before joining Channel 4 in 2016.
Jordan is known for his strong opinions, and earlier this month urged Ferrari to rip up Lewis Hamilton’s contract after he lamented his form.
Hamilton said after a sprint race in Qatar: ‘The positive is that the car is fast and George should be able to shoot for pole tomorrow. Who knows? I’m definitely not fast anymore.
‘I’m just slow, same every weekend. Car felt relatively decent, no issues, and not really much more to say.’
Responding to the comments, Jordan urged Ferrari to back out of the contract, fearing that the British driver is ‘f***ed’ because he lacks ‘belief’.
Speaking on his podcast, Jordan said: ‘If you don’t believe 100 per cent, you’re f***ed. Do you understand that?
‘Because belief, 99.9 per cent, means that there is that tiny, little, little thing in there knocking on your head that gives you the things that maybe, “Oh, I don’t really have that confidence. I don’t really have the ability”.
Jordan with Lewis Hamilton at the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix in 2014
Jordan with former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell and Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner in 2011
Jordan ran a team under his own name, and is seen here during practice for the Spanish GP in 2002
The Irishman has been prominent in the world of F1 for decades, and is pictured here in 2014 with Daniel Ricciardo of Australia
Jordan and his wife Marie on day two of Royal Ascot on June 19, 2013
Jordan is the latest major figure in the world of sport to reveal they have cancer, following British cycling hero Chris Hoy’s shock diagnosis.
In October 2024, the athlete revealed a terminal diagnosis and that he has two to four years to live.
The six-time Olympic gold medallist, 48, told on Tuesday how he had been reduced to tears while recording a heartfelt message to his children in his new memoir, All That Matters.
Appearing on Lorraine, Hoy spoke about how he and his wife Sarra Kemp broke the news to their children Callum, nine, and Chloe, six.
The cyclist also emphasised the importance of screenings and his campaign to get the age that GPs recommend PSA tests lowered, as he heartbreakingly admitted if he had tested earlier, he believes the disease could have been caught quicker.
He said: ‘It’s been an overwhelming response, so many people getting in touch and going to doctors for checkups. As men we’re a bit guilty of not checking our health, and that’s now changing.
‘Normally the threshold is 50, then your doctor might ask you to get a PSA test. But for me with family history – my grandpa and dad both had prostate cancer.
‘In my opinion if I had been screened earlier, then there was a chance we might have caught it. Nothing against my own GP, my doctors have been amazing, but I think in general as a nation if we can have the threshold lowered, we could save a lot of lives.’
Jordan is the latest major figure in the world of sport to reveal they have cancer, following British cycling hero Chris Hoy’s shock diagnosis
Hoy has undergone cold cap therapy to reduce the hair loss caused by chemo
Hoy revealed in February he was being treated for cancer, but the disease then spread to his bones, with tumours in his shoulder, pelvis, hip, spine, and rib.
He appeared on BBC Breakfast News and shared his ‘absolute shock and horror’ as doctors told him the ‘nightmare’ diagnosis.
He said: ‘It’s been the toughest year of our lives so far by some stretch. No symptoms, no warnings, nothing. All I had was a pain in my shoulder and a little bit of pain in my ribs.’
‘It was the biggest shock of my life. I remember the feeling of just absolute horror and shock.’
