Jordan Peterson has been credited by many people with helping them through tough times in their lives.

But the controversial academic has now spoken of his own personal struggles as his wife battles a rare kidney cancer.

The 57-year-old psychologist, best known for his fight against political correctness, spoke of his family's difficulties after launching a website which he says will be free of 'censorship' of other social networks.

Jordan Peterson has spoken about his wife, Tammy's, battle with a rare kidney cancer

Speaking to The Times, Peterson said his wife of 30 years, Tammy, who he has known since childhood, has been given a uncertain prognosis after surgery to remove the cancer.

He said: 'My wife is very ill. She's had two surgeries in the last two months and is suffering from severe complications from the last one.'

He said the couple, who have two children in their twenties, feel like they have been 'struck by lightning' and he has been sleeping at the hospital as he supports her.

Peterson's book 12 Rules: An Antidote to Chaos has sold millions of copies worldwide and is hailed by many of Peterson's fans as having changed their lives.

It gives advice to people how to avoid their lives becoming chaotic, accept responsibility and live more meaningfully.

But its Peterson's actions away from academia and writing that have brought him much notoriety around the world.

His refusal to comply with a Canadian law which would require him to address transgender students by the pronoun of their choice, and an explosive interview he had with Channel 4's Cathy Newman, has made him a viral sensation.

Peterson has found global fame with his book 12 Rules for Life, and through viral clips of his lectures and appearances on news shows

He was criticised by opponents after he was pictured with a supporter who was wearing a T-shirt which stated: 'I'm a proud Islamophobe.'

In March this year, Cambridge University pulled an offer of a fellowship for Peterson after opposition to his previous stance on gender.

In his latest interview, Peterson denies that he is 'winner-takes-all' right-winger, and recognises the Left for 'giving a voice to those who aren't served by' the status quo.

However, his status of a bête noire among some liberals has been further entrenched by his setting up of an 'anti-censorship' platform called Thinkspot.

He previously said of the website: 'Once you're on our platform, we won't take you down, unless we’re ordered to by a US court of law. That’s basically the idea. So we're trying to make an anti-censorship platform.'

But there has been anger among some in the UK that Carl Benjamin, the failed Ukip MEP candidate who wrote online about raping Labour MP Jess Phillips, is one of those chosen to test the site.

In his latest interview, Peterson said the issues of freedom of speech online were 'a tough problem to crack' and admitted 'I could be wrong'.