THE ECHO WAS IN ATTENDANCE FOR AN EVENING WITH SIR CHRIS HOY AT THE LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL THIS WEEK 15:53, 05 Jun 2025 "It's true what they say about Liverpool." Sir

Chris Hoy seemed genuinely taken aback by the incredible ovation he received as he arrived on stage at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall this week. The Olympian joked the crowd on Tuesday

night could have been watching Netflix or going to the cinema instead. However, the truth is it's rare you get to spend an evening in the company of a true Olympic hero - and those in

attendance would rather be nowhere else than on Hope Street. The evening was held in celebration of his new memoirs, All That Matters, and Sir Chris reflected on his incredible life story

took a more poignant turn in September 2023 when he was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer. The conversation began on his darkest moment as the Olympian provided an update on his

health. Sir Chris is the dad to two young children and he admitted he struggled to talk about cancer when he was first diagnosed 18 months ago. He said: "Two years ago, I was oblivious

this big thing was on the horizon. I had a few aches and pains in my shoulder and back but I was just thinking I was getting old. "They didn't go away and I went for a scan on my

shoulder, thinking it was going to be tendonitis or something simple. But it was a tumour and it rocked the foundation of our lives. It came completely out of the blue. Article continues

below "They found it was stage four prostate cancer so there was no easing into it. The biggest shock of our lives, without question." However, it is absolutely remarkable how Sir

Chris and his family have managed to channel this into such a positive and inspiring message as he shared how he has now came to terms with his diagnosis and is enjoying life. He said:

"I feel like we've accepted it, we've gone through the shock, through the grief stage you go through, then you realise that the present is all that any of us have. You can

spend your life worrying about the future, worrying about something that's coming on the horizon, that may or may not happen. "But you suffer twice so enjoy the moment because

that's all any of us have." He added: "I'm doing fine. We've had an amazing year so far trying to just cram as much as I can into every day. That's the

challenge is trying to get the balance right of doing everything but thern you kind of don't have the time to appreciate it and soak in. Sir Chris explained confronting the emotions

while writing the book has been a cathartic process as it explained the importance of finding "your own hope". He said: "Stage four cancer is you being told sadly it's

incurable. It's treatable and the prognosis is 2 -4 years. In that one sentence, everything is stripped away and it hits you like a sledgehammer." He added: "I'm not

delusional. I know the severity of the diagnosis, but the hope is you can one day enjoy your life again. You can laugh at comedy again and you can listen to music. All these things were

impossible in the first few weeks, but I've got to that point now when I can do all these things. "Life is about the here and the now. It's about the present. The past is a

wonderful thing to look back on and the future isn't here yet." Sir Chris said the response he received in Liverpool perfectly summed up his new approach as he said: "I'm

sitting here looking at a room of people who have come to hear me talk tonight, which is quite bizarre. Thank you, I really appreciate it." As the conversation moves on to his sporting

achievements, it becomes clear the elite mentality that has enabled him to adopt such a positive approach in horrible circumstances has served him so well throughout his career. It is

fascinating to hear the insight into how conversations with Professor Steve Peters helped inspire his gold medal triumphs in Athens, Beijing and London. While the memories of Sir Chris

winning gold medals will forever be emblazoned in the national consciousness, Tuesday night's show provided an insight into the man and highlighted the human stories and setbacks he

overcame to achieve greatness. He is now facing his most difficult challenge yet, but Sir Chris has refused to be beaten throughout his life and he has re-evaluated his legacy to be

remembered for something beyond his sporting greatness. He said: "I hope that less men die of prostate cancer as a result of me talking about my situation." The impact of his work

is already in action as he has set up a fundraising bike event in September named Tour de Four and there have been a spike in people checking if they have prostate cancer. Tuesday night

could have been a sombre affair, but Sir Chris has spent his whole life inspiring people and he has no intention of stopping yet. As he walked off the stage at the Liverpool Philharmonic to

a rousing round of applause, it become clear he had once again lifted the spirits of a whole room of people. The crowd wanted to thank him for iconic moments he has provided in the past and

the lives he will save in the future. He is a true Olympic hero in every sense of the word. Article continues below