Legendary jockey Bob Champion awarded honorary doctorate at ICR graduation ceremony

Image: Bob Champion CBE stands at the podium at London's Guildhall, after being awarded an honorary doctorate by The Institute of Cancer Research. Credit: ICR

Legendary jockey Bob Champion has been awarded an honorary doctorate by The Institute of Cancer Research, London, in recognition of his outstanding contribution in supporting research into male cancers at a ceremony on Monday 27 October at London’s Guildhall.

The event also celebrated the graduation of students from The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), which is a research institute, a higher education institution and a charity.

At the ceremony, the ICR conferred an honorary degree of Doctor of Science (Medicine) on Robert ‘Bob’ Champion CBE.

​Bob Champion was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1979. Then in his early thirties and recognised as one of the country’s top jump jockeys, his world came crashing down when doctors told him he had less than a year to live.

Despite gruelling cancer treatment, Bob pulled through and was back in the saddle less than two years later, achieving victory at Aintree in the 1981 Grand National. Dubbed ‘racing’s greatest fairytale’, he was riding Aldaniti, a horse whose own career had been in doubt due to a horrific leg injury sustained in the same year that Bob had been diagnosed with cancer.

Image: Bob Champion (left) with fellow jockey, JonJo O’Neill (right)

Inspired by this experience, Bob established, with Nick Embiricos owner of Aldaniti, the Bob Champion Cancer Trust, committed to improving the odds for more men with cancer. For more than 40 years, it has supported research into innovative treatments, diagnostics and strategies for male cancers and has raised more than £15 million. Bob has been personally involved in the charity’s fundraising – taking on many racing-related challenges that have not only raised funds, but vital awareness of male cancers and the need for research.

Making a difference for patients 

Over the years, the Bob Champion Cancer Trust has funded testicular and prostate cancer research at the ICR and The Royal Marsden, as well as at the University of East Anglia. Some of the chemotherapy that Bob was treated with, was in fact researched and developed at The ICR and The Royal Marsden. 

The Trust’s support includes jointly funding the building of the Male Urological Cancer Research Centre on the ICR’s Sutton campus in 2000. In the area of testicular cancer, the charity has supported research to increase survival and improve the quality of life for patients by reducing the side effects of treatment.

The Bob Champion Cancer Trust has also been vital in supporting the long-term follow-up of prostate cancer patients on radiotherapy trials, and funded research at the ICR to accelerate the understanding of how prostate cancer risk is associated with genetic make-up. This is now leading to more targeted tests that could improve early diagnosis of prostate cancer, which makes it much more likely to be successfully treated. In addition, the Trust is supporting research to identify potential weaknesses in prostate cancer that could be targeted with new or existing drugs, and its ongoing support continues to help promising research progress at an early stage towards making a difference for patients.

Image: Bob Champion. Credit: Dominic James

The ICR can award honorary degrees as a member institution of the University of London. Today, the ICR is one of the world’s most influential cancer research organisations, and the world’s most successful academic institution at discovering and developing new cancer drugs.

Previous recipients of an honorary doctorate from the ICR include the presenters of the You, Me and the Big C podcast and the broadcaster and journalist Victoria Derbyshire, for their contributions towards raising awareness of the impact of cancer on patients and their loved ones.

"Truly an honour"

Bob Champion CBE said: 

“It is truly an honour to receive this recognition from the ICR. We set up the Bob Champion Cancer Trust over 40 years ago and I’m extremely proud of what we’ve achieved in that time through pioneering research to discover new diagnostics and treatments.

“Since my own cancer diagnosis, great strides have been made in research into male cancers, and I commend the scientists at the ICR who work so tirelessly towards our shared goal to help patients live longer and better lives.

“I am also immensely grateful to all our wonderful fundraisers, whose ongoing support enables us to continue to fund vital projects that will make a difference to countless men with the disease.”

"Bob is an inspiration"

Professor Kristian Helin, Chief Executive at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, said:

“Bob is an inspiration and there is no doubt that his outstanding contributions have helped to transform how male cancers are diagnosed and treated.

“As a charity, we rely on fundraising and philanthropic donations to drive forward our groundbreaking research and make the discoveries that will help defeat cancer.

“We warmly congratulate Bob on this well-deserved honour and thank him for his generous support over the years - both in raising vital funds and championing the importance of our life-changing work.”

Professor Ros Eeles, Professor of Oncogenetics at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, whose own research has been funded by the Bob Champion Cancer Trust, said:

“The support of Bob’s charity, the Bob Champion Cancer Trust, is helping us improve not just the diagnosis of prostate cancer but potentially the treatment of it too, and we are delighted to have the opportunity to recognise his achievements with this honorary doctorate.

“Bob is a living example of medical progress driven by research – some of his own treatment was with chemotherapy researched and developed at the ICR and The Royal Marsden. We are hugely grateful to him for his charitable endeavours to fund research which has saved many more lives.”