BBC newsreader George Alagiah is diagnosed with bowel cancer and will be off-air for the foreseeable future

BBC newsreader George Alagiah has been diagnosed with bowel cancer.

He will be off air for the near future while he receives treatment, the BBC said today.

The 58-year-old, who has been a familiar figure on TV news bulletins for many years, is said to be 'optimistic' about a positive outcome.

Newsreader George Alagiah has been diagnosed with bowel cancer, the BBC said today

Mr Alagiah, his wife Francis and Jane Ashley (daughter of Laura Ashley) in 2006. He is 'hopeful for a positive outcome' from his diagnosis, it was said today

The Sri Lanka-born journalist has been the face of BBC1’s News at Six since 2007. He was made an OBE in 2008's New Year Honours.

In a statement the BBC said: 'He is grateful for all the good wishes he has received thus far and is optimistic for a positive outcome.

'George asks that he and his family are given the space and privacy they require whilst he recovers.

BOWEL CANCER - THE THIRD MOST COMMON CANCER IN MEN

Bowel cancer affects 40,000 Britons and kills 16,000 each year.
Symptoms usually include abdominal pain, blood in the stool, unexplained constipation or diarrhoea and unexplained weight loss.
It is the third most common cancer in the UK, and the third most common in men.
Around 72 per cent of cases occur in those aged over 65 but numbers of young people developing the disease are rising rapidly.
Age, a low-fibre diet, being overweight, a high alcohol intake, smoking and a family history of the disease puts you at an increased risk.
The disease is usually treated with a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Early detection and treatment usually results in a cure but late diagnosis only has a five year survival rate of 6 per cent.

'Our thoughts are with him and his family and we send them our very best wishes during this time.

'Until such time as George is well enough to return to work the BBC News at Six and GMT on BBC World News will be presented as usual by familiar faces from BBC News.'

Mr Alagiah first began hosting the 6pm news bulletin in early 2003, but he stepped up to front it solo four years later following the departure of his co-host Natasha Kaplinsky.

He has been married to his wife, Frances Robathan, for 30 years and has two sons, Adam and Matthew.

He was educated at St John's College, an independent Catholic boarding school in Portsmouth.

He went on to read politics at Durham University's Van Mildert College.

He has previously been a prominent foreign correspondent, often as a specialist in Africa with coverage of civil wars in Somalia and Liberia, as well as the genocide in Rwanda 20 years ago.

Mr Alagiah joined the BBC 25 years ago after working as a print journalist and he has gone on to write a number of books including A Home From Home, which looked at what it means to be British.

He has also presented other shows such as Mixed Britannia, looking at the UK’s mixed-race population.

Bowel cancer is the third most common type of cancer in men, behind prostate and lung, with almost three-quarters of cases affecting people over the age of 65.

The 58-year-old, who has been the face of BBC1's News at Six since 2007, is 'grateful for all the good wishes he has received thus far'

Mr Alagiah with former news co-host Natasha Kaplinsky. A statement issued today said: 'George asks that he and his family are given the space and privacy they require whilst he recovers'

In response to the news, Mark Flannagan, chief executive of the charity Beating Bowel Cancer, said: 'We’re sorry to hear that George Alagiah has been diagnosed with bowel cancer. We wish him all the best with his treatment and recovery.

'Almost 41,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in the UK, that’s one person every 30 minutes.

'However, bowel cancer is very treatable when caught in the early stages when over 90% of cases can be successfully treated.'

For more information, visit www.beatingbowelcancer.org