Following his diagnosis, Chris Evans advised others to check for skin cancer and warned that melanomas might appear in places where people might not think to look.
The 57-year-old radio host announced his diagnosis on his Virgin Radio show on Monday, and he is now urging people to watch for changes in their skin.
He cautioned that many solitary men fail to detect melanomas on their backs because they do not check there.
‘One example of why it’s an extraordinary thing to look for is there is a high percentage of men who tragically lose their lives to melanomas which they don’t see because they’re on their backs,’ he told The Sun.
‘And they’re single men. You don’t see your back that often. And if it’s in your back in the middle of your shoulder blades, unless you have a partner or play in a sports team, it is unlikely you will see that, ever.’
He urged men to check their backs ‘on purpose’ and that if they have a partner, to get them to do it as ‘it might be more fun.’
Chris had a cancerous tumour on his leg that he felt was “probably nothing,” but he had it checked out and it was discovered early.
This week, the DJ informed listeners that his skin cancer is manageable because it was detected early.
Speaking about his diagnosis live on his radio show, he said: ‘We need to discuss what’s going on with this issue.
‘It is a melanoma. There’s this phrase called a malignant melanoma – you know once you get something, and you find out all about it – that is a redundant phrase because if it is a melanoma it is malignant.
‘But it’s been caught so early, just so you know, that it should be completely treatable.
‘[Treatment] will happen on the 14th of September.’
Chris had a skin cancer scare in 2019 and was given the all-clear in 2015 after concerns about prostate cancer.
Following his diagnosis, he claimed that, despite being “fearful” of testing, the deaths in his family “changed his mind” about consulting a doctor.
‘For years I was such a scaredy cat but I’ve had things taken out of me before that had resulted in the deaths of my dad, his two brothers and my mum,’ he told MailOnline.
‘Cancer has had enough of us. I changed my thinking a while ago when I went to the toilet and there was clearly something very wrong. And up until that moment, I was fearful of any possible test you could have done.’
Macmillan cancer support
If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with cancer, Macmillan can offer support and information.
You can contact their helpline on 0808 808 00 00 (7 days a week from 8am to 8pm), use their webchat service, or visit their site for more information.
