Adelaide AFLW coach Matthew Clarke addresses Ali’s cancer battle

Adelaide’s legendary AFLW coach Matthew ‘Doc’ Clarke has opened up on a difficult year where he and his family were rocked by a devastating health ordeal.

Clarke’s famous wife, Ali, was diagnosed with breast cancer which has ultimately led to her quitting her popular radio show in Adelaide.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Matthew Clarke speaks exclusively to 7NEWS.

Ali announced she was leaving Mix 102.3 breakfast during a live broadcast at the end of last month.

But that news followed her cancer reveal in July, where she choked back tears while telling listeners about the devastating ordeal.

Speaking to 7NEWS on Thursday, Matthew was asked about his personal life and “how taxing” the past few months had been.

“Very, obviously,” the former Brisbane and Adelaide champion.

“It’s been a challenging year.

“Equally, but, I’ve got an amazingly strong wife who has pretty much borne the brunt of that.

“But we’re good ... we’re really good.”

Ali had previously said she had been “really cranky” with Matthew and she thought she was suffering from perimenopause.

However, a mammogram revealed the devastating health news, although doctors had caught the cancer “really, really early”.

She then told listeners she would undergo a mastectomy.

“I am going to have a full mastectomy — which, if you’re playing at home — that means they’re taking one of my boobs,” she said.

“If I’m truly honest, it’s probably been that bit that’s been much more confronting than I ever thought it will be.”

In her emotional farewell to listeners at the end of November, Ali said it was hard to accept.

“Here’s the big announcement, Mix family. This will be my last week on air with Mix 102.3 doing brekkie,” she said on air.

“It’s really hard to say now. Probably even harder to accept as well. But I was offered the opportunity to continue on and it’s really hard to say no to something like that because I love this, I love nothing more than connecting with people and I love radio so much.

“And I understand the privilege it is to be invited into someone’s home or their car or their life.

“But if there’s something that I’ve also known is that this year has really brought home to me and reminded me that ultimately you have to follow your heart and you have to act with integrity and, if I was to stay, I wouldn’t be doing that 100 per cent fully.”

She said part of the reason she made the call was because she felt safe in the knowledge that it wouldn’t spell the end of their program.

“One of the biggest fears I had in making this decision is that I was terrified it would mean the end of local radio for Mix with all of the narrative that’s been going around about the Kyle & Jackie O Show,” she said.

“But it’s with absolute relief and just so much joy that, Max (her co-host Max Burford), you’re around to stay, and local radio is around to stay. Because I believe that there is a huge role for local people telling local stories and local jobs in our city here.”

She she had a “new perspective” on life and would “miss the listeners terribly”.

“I can’t thank them enough for their support of not just me, but my family,” she said.