A dad-of-three who credits Jeremy Clarkson with saving his life has run 34 miles to thank him.
Andrew Hood was diagnosed with testicular cancer after watching an episode of the television series The Grand Tour, which caused him to get checked for the disease.
In the episode, which aired in 2021, Clarkson – along with fellow presenters James May and Richard Hammond – discussed needing to wee during the night, a prostate issue that affects many men.
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Now Andy has completed a 34-mile (55km) ultra-marathon between Oxford railway station and Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm on Saturday (12 April) to show his appreciation to the presenter and to raise awareness.
“When I arrived at Diddly Squat there was a really lovely reception – I got cheered in and I got rounds of applause,” Andy, from Barnstaple, Devon, told What’s The Jam.
“I knew I would find it emotional and I did – I cried.
“There was an outstanding reception from the whole team at Diddly Squat, including Jeremy’s PA who spent ages with me.
“I was spoilt rotten.”
Andy, 52, was in the shower when he noticed that one of his testicles had “shrunk”.
He said: “Not long after watching the episode, I’d come back from a run and was in the shower and decided to check myself.
“I noticed something wrong and within 10 days I’d received a cancer diagnosis, had an operation and was soon to be scheduled for chemotherapy.
“That kickstarted a chain of events and I was told that if I had not checked when I did then the cancer would have undoubtedly spread more and it would have been a whole lot more serious.”
Andy, who has three sons, said his message to men – young and old – is to check their testicles.
He said: “I will never be able to thank Clarkson, Hammond and May enough for saving my life that day as I know without watching that programme, I would not have checked myself.”
Clarkson was unable to greet him at the finish line due to commitments outside the UK, but Andy wrote a letter to the presenter in which he thanked him for saving his life.
He wrote: “Thank you will never be enough.
“You have ensured my children still have a father and you have ensured my wife still has someone who won’t empty the dishwasher.”
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