Keith Floyd

Keith Floyd is battling bowel cancer. The 65-year-old TV chef has already undergone five serious operations since being diagnosed with the disease six weeks ago and is set to begin a gruelling five-week course of chemotherapy. He said: "I went to Spain six weeks ago to see my old doctor about a little growth. He said, 'Not very good news, I'm afraid, you've got bowel cancer.' It's not what you want to hear. Since then I've had endless operations. Five knife ops in total and they were 90 per cent successful in cutting it out.

"Now I have five weeks of chemotherapy coming up. I'll have to make daily visits to Nimes Hospital. I'm not thrilled about it, no, but what can I do? I'll get through it."

Keith shot to fame in the 1980s with his food and drink programmes, famously depicting him clutching a glass of wine, but he has more recently been hit by a string of personal problems.

He has been divorced four times and despite his success, was declared bankrupt in 1996.

Keith was also banned from driving for 32 months in November 2004 after crashing his car into another vehicle while three-and-a-half times over the legal alcohol limit.

He was hospitalised last year after collapsing during a night out at a friend's pub and has admitted he had already been told by doctors to give up drinking, but has found it tough.

He said in 2007: "I drink now in moderation. You're on the road. After the show, what do you do? There's no one to talk to, you've talked all night in fact, you've done all you possibly can - let's go and have a stiff one."