George Alagiah taking break from BBC News after cancer worsens

George Alagiah has announced that he will be stepping back from presenting BBC News after scans confirmed his cancer has spred further.

The 66-year-old newsreader was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2014 but carried on working until 2021 when he took a short break from the airwaves.

Read more: George Alagiah focusing on life not death as cancer spreads

In a statement, Alagiah said: "A recent scan showed that my cancer has spread further so it’s back to some tough stuff. I’m missing my colleagues. Working in the newsroom has been such an important part of keeping energised and motivated."

However, he remained optimistic and said: "I look forward to being back in that studio as soon as I can."

Alagiah has undergone 17 rounds of chemotherapy since his initial diagnosis eight years ago.

In an interview with The Times, Alagiah confirmed that the cancer was incurable and had spread to his lungs, liver and lymph nodes.

He also said that if England had the same screening system for bowel cancer as Scotland then he would have had a better chance of surviving the disease.

Bowel cancer screening in Scotland starts at age 50 for men and women and all people are eligible for a screening every two years afterwards.

Automatic screening for bowel cancer in England does not start until 60.

Alagiah said: “Had they had screening at 50, like they do in Scotland ... I would have been screened at least three times and possibly four by the time I was 58. We know that if you catch bowel cancer early, survival rates are tremendous. I have thought: why have the Scots got it and we don’t?”

The newsreader has since campaigned to lower the screening age for bowel cancer in England.

The disease kills nearly 16,000 men and women annually in the UK. It is the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK, behind lung cancer.

Watch below: BBC newsreader George Alagiah, who is being treated for cancer, reveals he's had Coronavirus.