Former Formula One commentator Murray Walker, from Hampshire, has been diagnosed with cancer.

The 89-year-old, who lives near Fordingbridge, said that he had been diagnosed with a form of lymphatic system cancer, but said that the condition was treatable.

''They've caught it incredibly early. It's treatable, the doctors say my condition is mild and I'm very hopeful,'' said Walker.

Walker, who was diagnosed with the illness during tests after breaking his pelvis in a fall last month, is to undergo chemotherapy over the next few months.

Walker's distinctive commentating style became synonymous with motor racing as he covered the sport for more than half a century before retiring in 2001.