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"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."

Alagiah has been married to his wife, Frances, for 30 years and they have two grown-up sons.

The Sri-Lankan born presenter has spoken previously about his admiration for medical care in Britain, saying: "The NHS is the civilising and defining institution of British life.

"I appreciate it as a former foreign correspondent, having come from the poor world to the rich world, and having spent most of my working life in countries where people wish they had something like the NHS."

Bowel cancer is the third most common type of cancer. If diagnosed in its earliest stages, the chance of surviving a further five years is 90 per cent and a complete cure is usually possible, according to NHS statistics.

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."