Hannah Fry Details Cancer Battle, Hysterectomy, and Divorce

Mathematician and television personality Hannah Fry has shared details of her diagnosis with cervical cancer, undergoing a radical hysterectomy, and experiencing a divorce, all before the age of 40.

Fry, 42, was diagnosed with cancer at 36 following a routine smear test. She subsequently underwent a radical hysterectomy, which involved the removal of her cervix, uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, and several pelvic lymph nodes.

Before her diagnosis, Fry had two daughters with her sports writer husband, Phil Lythell. She expressed regret about not being able to have a desired third child due to her health circumstances. "I always wanted to have three, because I was one of three," Fry stated. "It's a regret, but it's one I can't be too upset about. I still have two gorgeous girls."

Fry and Lythell divorced in 2022 after nine years of marriage. Fry has suggested that her health challenges may have contributed to the marital breakdown. "I split up with my husband not very long after [the cancer battle], about a couple of years after. And I don't think it was a coincidence," she said.

Fry described Lythell as supportive during her health crisis. "He was amazing, by the way, during that whole experience. He's a really, really brilliant man," she told The Times. However, she noted the difficulty of her situation after recovering. "So, at 40, I was living on my own and only seeing my children half the time and that was pretty tough."

The former couple has maintained a cordial relationship, living on the same street and co-parenting their children. Fry has referred to their separation as a "grade A, gold-star divorce." She is now in a relationship with her new partner, Oli, and has shared instances where her ex-husband and new partner have interacted amicably.

Fry's personal health journey has not yet been a focus on the reality television show 'Celebrity Traitors,' where she is a contestant. In a recent episode, Fry was recruited as a Traitor, joining fellow contestants Maya Jama and James Acaster. Earlier in the episode, Fry had discussed her analytical approach to the game with Joe Lycett, revealing she uses a detailed spreadsheet to track possible combinations of Traitors, a method inspired by Alan Turing's approach to cracking the Enigma code.

Her strategy involved calculating all possible Traitor combinations and systematically eliminating them based on game events and participant behavior. Fry also considered factors such as seating arrangements and group dynamics within the show. However, her plans to play as a Faithful were superseded when she was recruited as a Traitor, requiring her to maintain the facade of a Faithful while secretly acting as a Traitor.