BBC presenter Qasa Alom has reflected on a recent health scare after working at Wimbledon, which saw him rushed to hospital, revealing it was a ‘wake-up call’.
Alom was the host of the Today at Wimbledon show for Britain’s largest public broadcaster, a role he assumed in 2023.
However, the Birmingham-born anchor pushed his body to its limit in order to work at tennis’ most prestigious championships, despite knowledge of an illness that he has yet to disclose.
That decision ended with Alom in an ambulance and on his way to hospital, and now the presenter has taken to Instagram to open up about the ordeal.
‘I can’t say the last few weeks have been easy,’ Alom wrote. ‘Ever since the middle of Wimbledon, I’ve been battling my body with a health issue.
‘I put off getting proper medical care because I just did not want to miss The Championships (error). Eventually, it became too much & escalated.
The post consisted of numerous pictures of Alom that range from being picked up in an ambulance to receiving treatment.
And while the presenter can be seen smiling in the majority of the photographs, he has admitted that the ordeal knocked him ‘for six’.
‘A real wake-up call to all those health-conscious young seemingly fit people out there seeing this,’ he continued.
‘No matter how good your VO2 max might be; or what your resting heart rate is….no matter how many chia seeds you eat or interval fasts you can do….things can happen inside of our bodies that you can’t control and it will completely knock you for six.
‘Respect your body and its limitations. We only have one. Grateful to my family for helping me through a difficult period & now the road to recovery.’
When Clare Balding left the BBC’s Today at Wimbledon show to lead the championships’ coverage, following Sue Barker’s departure, there was a vacancy to be filled.
Alom, a huge tennis fan (and self-proclaimed tennis ‘geek’), was the man to take the mantle from Balding.
He previously presented a Radio 4 programme on one of the sport’s most iconic stars, Arthur Ashe, and also takes an interest in cricket, rugby and athletics.
In 2022, Alom was part of the team on the BBC’s coverage of the Commonwealth Games as well as the London Marathon – and has also been at the helm of shows on the BBC’s Asian Network and 5 Live.
Elsewhere, the filmmaker has his own YouTube channel, QasaVision, which explores issues stemming from the climate crisis, and he is passionate about protecting the environment.
However, the star on the screen has not posted a video on the channel for over two years.
