Jeremy Clarkson had a cancer scare just two days before the ‘fracas’ that lost him his job at the BBC.
The former ‘Top Gear’ host has admitted he was given a "stern" warning by a doctor to have it checked immediately but was in the middle of filming for the motoring show and said that "always came first".
Writing in his column for The Sunday Times newspaper, he said: "Two days before the ‘fracas’, I’d been told, sternly, by my doctor that the lump on my tongue was probably cancer and that I must get it checked out immediately.
"But I couldn’t do that. We were in the middle of a ‘Top Gear’ series. And ‘Top Gear’ always came first."
Meanwhile, the 55-year-old television personality – who has since been given the all clear – previously admitted he will greatly miss the BBC show.
Writing in his column for The Sun newspaper, he said: "Heartfelt thanks to all those who have written to say how much they will miss me on ‘Top Gear’.
"It’s not as much, however, as I’ll miss being there."
Meanwhile, BBC bosses are reportedly desperate to secure a future for Jeremy’s former co-hosts Richard Hammond and James May.
A source said previously: "Richard is a TV presenter and this could be his chance to become top dog – he’s been on the show a bit longer than James. That is a big opportunity to pass over.
"It would be a great shame to lose all the talent in one go – re-booting it from scratch would be a far harder task than replacing one."
Jeremy Clarkson’s cancer scare
