A Stunning British Model of the 1970s Aged Gracefully for Decades, Until a Cruel Diagnosis Came – But She Proves True Beauty Shines Through Even After Illness at 73

Angie Best has spent recent months sharing an intensely personal journey with the public — one marked by difficult treatments, visible physical changes, and moments of vulnerability, but also by honesty, resilience, and remarkable positivity.

The 73-year-old former wife of football legend George Best is currently receiving treatment in Switzerland for advanced colon cancer that has spread to her liver.

Angie Best, 24 year-old wife of footballer George Best in action at Manchester United's Old Trafford ground. | Source: Getty Images

Through candid social media updates, Angie has openly documented the realities of treatment, from hair loss to skin reactions caused by immunotherapy, while continuing to encourage and inspire followers with the strength and perspective she brings to each update.

A longtime health and wellness advocate, Angie has spent decades sharing her commitment to nutrition, fitness, and mindset with a loyal online audience. Now, many of those same followers have rallied around her as she faces one of the most difficult periods of her life with openness and grace.

Angie Best is pictured at an evening event, wearing statement earrings and a dark outfit with a fur-trimmed collar, circa 1987 | Source: Getty Images

The visible effects of treatment have become part of the journey Angie is now openly documenting, something many followers say has made her updates feel especially honest and inspiring.

Her son Callum, Angie's only child with George, put the diagnosis in context when he first shared it with the public.

Former soccer superstar George Best, with his wife Angie and their son Calum Milan Best, at Heathrow Airport today after having flown in from Los Angeles. | Source: Getty Images

When the Diagnosis Came

The announcement came on 8 January, when Callum shared an emotional video with his followers, telling them that his mother had been diagnosed with advanced colon cancer.

He revealed that the diagnosis had been delayed, first by alternative treatments and then by a misdiagnosis of Lyme disease. By the time doctors identified the true cause, the illness had already spread to Angie's liver.

George Best and ex-wife Angie 1980 | Source: Getty Images

Callum, who set up a GoFundMe page to help fund specialist care, admitted in that video, "I'll be honest, I haven't cried in years but this has been an emotional rollercoaster I never expected to be on."

He had spent weeks deciding how to break the news, ultimately concluding that "when it comes to health, and when it comes to my mum, the only thing that really matters is honesty."

Angie Best, estranged wife of football player George Best, dancing at a club in London, April 8, 1983 | Source: Getty Images

In the caption of that post, alongside his own words, he included a message from Angie herself. She was, she said, "ready."

Angie's niece, former "EastEnders" actress Samantha Janus, is among her wider family circle. But it is Callum who has remained her most constant and visible source of support throughout her treatment.

'You Can See Right Through My Hair': Angie Speaks Out

Since January, Angie has been posting her own updates directly from Switzerland, sharing videos as her treatment continues. In one recent clip, she appeared on camera wearing a white baseball cap.

She explained, with characteristic directness, exactly why the cap had become a fixture.

"I'm wearing my hat because I didn't the other day, and with the sun I came out in my face with the brown hormonal stuff, and I can't be doing with that," she told followers. "And you can see right through my hair because I've lost so much of it."

In a separate video, Angie addressed the red spots that had appeared on her face, telling followers they were a reaction to immunotherapy, a side effect of her treatment rather than a symptom of the condition itself.

Angie Best, former wife of Manchester United and Northern Ireland footballer George Best, is pictured wearing a white top and black sweater, smiling directly at the camera during her earlier years. | Source: Getty Images

Rather than allowing the changes to define her, Angie has continued to approach the experience with honesty, humor, and perspective — qualities that many followers say have inspired them throughout her treatment journey:

Angie Best is pictured with George Best and their young son Calum | Source: Getty Images

She also shared a perspective that has resonated with many following her journey. Referencing a message she had seen, Angie explained that she had come to view the hair loss as part of letting go — shedding not just the physical effects of illness, but the weight of what had come before it.

In its place, she said, regrowth could be seen as something symbolic: a return to health, renewal, and a fresh start. It was an idea that had stayed with her.

'Still Beautiful': Fans Respond with Love

The comments beneath Angie's videos have been filled with warmth from followers moved by both the updates and the spirit in which she is sharing them.

"Such a cruel soul destroying disease," wrote one. "Still beautiful."

Another offered encouragement with a gentle nod to Angie's well-known surname, "The side effects will fade. Angie has the right surname. She is the 'best'".

A third, drawing on having watched others come through similar treatment, wrote, "She will come back once she beats this horrendous disease. All the effects of the treatment will go I have seen people recover & look like themselves once again.[sic]"

Angie Best | Source: Instagram/angiebestofficial

“Keep fighting girl you will get through,” more support came in. Another commented, “You are so strong and an example to us all. Keep up the positivity, laughter is the best medicine.”

“You’re the absolute doll…I’ve got everything crossed for you,” another follower added.

Angie Best talking to her fans | Source: Instagram/angiebestofficial

The warmth in those comments reflects something broader: a community of people who have followed Angie Best for years, and who are now sending it back to her without hesitation.

Throughout her treatment, Angie has continued to share both the difficult moments and the hopeful ones with remarkable openness, encouraging followers to see strength and healing even during periods of uncertainty.

Angie Best giving a health update | Source: Instagram/angiebestofficial

Speaking about the changes brought on by treatment, she explained that she has come to see regrowth as something symbolic — not just physically, but emotionally too.

“New hair is new growth, new life, new health,” she said.

For many following her journey, it is that honesty, resilience, and optimism that have left the deepest impression.