Alan Cumming has disclosed the warning signs that his testicles were ageing, following a home examination and a visit to the dermatologist.
The Traitors US presenter, 58, spoke on Thursday’s This Morning with Craig Doyle and Josie Gibson, when he elaborated on what he discovered ‘downstairs’.
Alan had been introducing his new stage play, Alan Cumming Is Not Acting His Age, claiming that ‘the one time’ he feels his age is when he goes to the dermatologist.
‘Because I’m pale and I go a lot,’ he began, before adding: ‘I hope I’m allowed to say this.’
Alan explained: ‘I get these mole checks, and one time I was in the shower having a little check and I was checking downstairs.’
Highlighting the importance of ‘checking your balls’ and raising awareness of testicular cancer, the X-men actor went on: ‘I was doing that, and I saw these two little red dots on one of my testicles.
‘It was like someone had taken a Sharpie and gone “boop boop” on one of my balls.’
‘Someone may well have done that, and I just didn’t notice,’ he quipped to the giggling hosts.
Alan went on: ‘So I went to the dermatologist and was like, what are these, like a little pimple?
‘And he went, “Oh, Alan, that’s nothing to worry about, that’s just a normal part of scrotal ageing.”‘
After bursting into laughter at the shock of ‘scrotal ageing’, Craig replied: ‘Well, the weird thing is they look old in the first place, don’t they?’
‘They’ve looked old since you were an infant,’ Alan agreed, adding: ‘Scrotal ageing is a thing.’
In his memoir Baggage, Alan joked about ‘grey pubes’, later saying: ‘I’m doing a show called Alan Cumming’s Not Acting His Age, exploring what’s expected of you as you get older. I think I’m really good at it.
‘I still feel young, I have young friends, I do all the things I used to do but I have wisdom from having been around for a while. I like getting older.
‘It’s interesting in our culture that we’ve decided that getting older is the worst thing that can happen. We could choose to see it as the best thing.’
How to check yourself for testicular cancer
Movember suggests giving your testicles a bit of a feel each month while in the bath or shower, it takes just minutes to do.
Roll one testicle between thumb and fingers to get to know what’s normal and repeat with the other one.
If you notice a change in size or shape, a lump that wasn’t there before, or if they become painful to touch, see a doctor.
This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV1.