Mark Wright has opened up about his health anxiety after he and his dad both suffered a cancer scare. Back in December, the Heart Radio presenter shared how he had found a lump under his arm which was 'growing quite fast'.
Sharing a post on Instagram, Mark revealed he had the huge 12cm tumour removed from his armpit alongside a series of photos after admitting it was a "tough call" to decide whether or not to speak about what he had been going through.
The 35-year-old explained a doctor "passed it on as 'a fatty lump that doesn’t need any treatment' so I just left it." He added: "After some time the lump grew and began to bother me. I am someone that when it comes to life in general, I leave no stone unturned. When it involves health, this idiom quadruples." The lump was thankfully later found to be benign and not cancerous.
Appearing on Loose Women on Thursday (June 9) for a Soccer Aid special alongside Dragons’ Den star Stephen Bartlett as well as Ruth Langsford and Frankie Bridge, Mark was asked about his cancer scare during a discussion about whether women handle illness better than men.
While Mark was quick to show his family his lump, the former TOWIE star said his dad, Mark Sr, isn't so good at sharing. "He’s rubbish at getting himself checked out, whereas I’m the opposite. It bothered me after a certain amount of time because the lump grew quite a lot," he said.
"I was not having it and went to have it checked out – luckily I did, because look at the size of it. They removed it. It was growing at a rapid pace." And after his own scare, he noticed his dad had a "red scab" on his chest and suspected it could be a form of skin cancer.
"I took him to the hospital and it was a form of skin cancer," he told the panelists. "They removed it, luckily it was benign. But, I remember seeing his face. He was shocked and he never gets things checked."
Mark also shared how prostate cancer runs in his family, after his grandfather, great uncle and uncle all battled the disease. "We’re told we have a high chance of having the prostate cancer gene, so we all have to go and get checked," he said on the ITV show.
"But my dad will just go for his check-up every six months, while I’m going there scared, waiting for the worst. I am a bit of a panicker with that and I get anxiety with health issues, but I would prefer to be on the cautious side."
Mark was also quizzed on his relationship with Michelle Keegan as the pair are currently spending time apart as she films a new drama in Australia. When Ruth asked what it's like seeing your partner after long periods of time, Mark replied: "If you’re in love and in a happy relationship you will be happy to see each other.
"You have to learn that you’ve been together for a long time and not seen each other in three weeks so it’s exciting at first but then it goes back to being a 10 year relationship. The longer you go, the more pressure there is because the longer it’s been."
He then went on to reveal some advice he received from Piers Morgan. "I was in LA and had a dinner with Piers Morgan and I told him it was hard. He said: 'I had this with my wife and we have a 3 weeks rule so don’t let it go past 3 weeks.'" When Frankie asked about their current situation Mark said: "It’s tough though with Australia, it’s a lot of flying."
