BrewDog tycoon James Watt reveals father's advanced cancer battle has hit family 'like a sledgehammer'
- James Watt, 42, and his Made In Chelsea star partner Georgia Toffolo have been at his father’s hospital bedside for the last 10 days
- Brewing giant's co-founder said his lobster fisherman father Jim was suffering from stage four pancreatic cancer
- Mr Watt, who is worth £260 million, said his father had started chemotherapy and was exploring other treatments including immunotherapy
BrewDog tycoon James Watt has told of his ‘pure shock’ after his father was diagnosed with an advanced form of cancer.
The multi-millionaire Scot said the news had hit his family ‘like a sledgehammer’ as his lobster fisherman father Jim had been fit and healthy all his days.
In an harrowing post on Instagram, Mr Watt said he and his partner Georgia Toffolo had been at his father’s hospital bedside for the last 10 days.
The BrewDog co-founder, who stepped down as the beer company’s CEO last month, said scans in Aberdeen confirmed his father was suffering from stage four pancreatic cancer.
He told followers on the social media site: ‘Up until three weeks ago he was working full time on his lobster fishing boat, hauling 300 lobster pots every single day.
Brewdog tycoon James Watt and Georgia Toffolo with his father Jim at The Dorchester Hotel
The Scots tycoon and Made In Chelsea star partner Georgia Toffolo
‘I still can’t quite wrap my head around the fact that he went from exceptionally strong, fit and healthy to facing such an arduous health challenge in such a short space of time.’
He added: ‘I have always been extremely close with my father. From the tender age of six, I would spend all my school holidays stowed away in his fishing boat and we have pretty much been joined at the hip ever since I entered the world.’
Mr Watt, 42, whose wealth is estimated at £260 million, brought his father to a London hospital following the diagnosis. He said he had started chemotherapy and was exploring other treatments including immunotherapy.
He said: ‘After being in pure shock for a few days we managed to change gear from being stunned and angry to being resilient, positive and very action focused.’
His post was accompanied by a photograph of him, his father and former Made In Chelsea star Ms Toffolo at London’s Dorchester Hotel where, after seven days struggling with eating in hospital, Mr Watt senior enjoyed some duck pancakes.
His son wrote: ‘This photo shows the craziest, and happiest moment in what has been an incredibly difficult week.’ He added: ‘We got special permissions from his doctor, we got all dressed up (well, everyone except me) and took him to China Tang at the picturesque Dorchester hotel with his lifelong best friend Alex, where we had a lovely dinner and lots of laughs.
‘It was a beautiful moment to share together at the end of a very tough week.’
Mr Watt also revealed in the post that he had lost one of his closest friends, Dan Bolton, to pancreatic cancer earlier this year.
Mr Watt's father Jim holds a giant crab while fishing in the North Atlantic
Despite the turmoil of the last few days, he said he had managed to launch his new business, Social Tip, in the last week.
He said: ‘Given Georgia and I have barely left my father’s side for the last 10 days, I am still not quite sure how I managed to squeeze in enough lacklustre work to just about get it launched.’
The app, developed along with Ms Toffolo, offers financial rewards for those posting on social media about brands they like, allowing them to become influencers.
Mr Watt remains as an adviser and non-executive director at BrewDog.
The tycoon was brought up in Gardenstown, Banffshire, and worked alongside his father for seven years before he co-founded the drinks company.
It sprang from a brewery set up in his garage and morphed into the world’s leading craft brewer, employing 2,530 people across its head office, four breweries and over 120 bars.
Mr Watt once declared that ‘all of my work ethic comes from my dad.’
