11 August 2023 , 19:41
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Jeremy Hunt's brother Charlie has died of cancer at just 53.
Charlie Hunt died after a battle with sarcoma, which brother Jeremy opened up about in a recent interview last month. Mr Hunt sadly passed away last week, it was confirmed on Friday.
Speaking in an interview with the Daily Mail in July, the politician said his brother was "doing okay" but that ultimately the diagnosis had been a "life-changing thing" for his family. He also spoke of his own fears after he was previously diagnosed with skin cancer from a mole on his head.
He told the newspaper: “I was blessed. It was not a life-threatening cancer and it was caught relatively early. I had superb treatment from the NHS to remove it, but I am very aware of members of my own family who have had much tougher battles against cancer, and I know that’s what families are going through up and down the country.”
Jeremy Hunt has also opened up about his own struggle with cancer (PA)Both brothers ran the London Marathon in April raising money for Royal Surrey Cancer & Surgical Innovation Centre and Sarcoma UK - a small charity which aids research into the disease - raising £50,000. Charlie revealed on his JustGiving page in October last year how he had been diagnosed back in 2020 and the disease had left him needing surgery on his right leg.
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He wrote on the fundraising page: "Since then the battle has continued with surgery on both of my lungs. I have been in and out of hospital pretty constantly but have received excellent treatment from the NHS and am still fighting on nearly three years later.
"It does, however, remain a huge battle for me and my family. I asked Jeremy to run the marathon for the first time with me – an offer that was nervously accepted."
The brothers' father, Royal Navy officer Admiral Sir Nicholas Hunt, and mother Meriel, both died after cancer diagnoses in 2013 and 2022 respectively. The family also faced tragedy in the 1960s when daughter Sarah died in an accidental drowning while in the bath.
Sarcomas are rare cancers which affect any part of the body and begin in the bones and soft tissue. They account for around 2% of all diagnosed cancers, and are often around the size of a large tin of beans when discovered, Sarcoma UK says.
Sarcomas are most common in the arms, legs and torso, but can also appear in the stomach and intestines as well as behind the abdomen and internal reproductive organs.