Coronation Street star Jack James Ryan has spoken out about surviving testicular cancer and his hopes that his story can be incorporated into his character on the ITV soap.
Jack, who plays reformed drug dealer Jacob Hay on Corrie, has previously confirmed that he was diagnosed with cancer in his late teens and that he is now in remission after receiving treatment.
Appearing on Lorraine on Tuesday, the actor spoke about feeling enormously lucky he caught the cancer early on, after he first discovered a lump in his testicle.
Embarrassment over testicular cancer is one of the reasons many men ignore lumps and Jack admits he too faced that on his visit to the GP the next day.
Jack told ITV host Lorraine Kelly how he did not realise testicular cancer was common among young men, saying: “I thought it was like an old man cancer. When I found out it was really common in young men, I thought why do we not know about this?”
He continued: “Getting to be able to tell that story on something like Coronation Street with Jacob would be amazing for me.
“It was a crazy time. I’ve come through the other side and it’s been a really positive experience. So I want to be able to tell that story.”
Lorraine replied: “That’s an amazing way to be able to think about it, because you caught it early enough and noticed changes.”
Jack was referred to hospital where he had surgery to remove his left testicle and have a prosthetic replacement. He later received chemotherapy to ensure the cancer hadn’t spread.
He explained: “Because I caught it early on, I was super lucky with the treatment.
“I’m fine now, just regular checks. But fingers crossed all good. And now I’m living my dream of getting to go on the cobbles everyday, which is amazing.”
Jack was studying at drama school when he returned to his mum Maranna’s house in Manchester for the Easter holidays and discovered a lump, he told the Mirror in a recent interview.
Maranna and his older sister Rebecca, who is best known for playing Adam Barlow’s stalker ex-girlfriend Lydia Chambers in Corrie this year, were both downstairs.
Jack, 25, recalled: “My sister had a friend round. I screamed: ‘Rebecca! Rebecca!’ She ran upstairs and I told her that her friend had to go. She asked her to leave and she came back upstairs with my mum and I told them what I’d found.
“It was a trainee doctor and she was a young, pretty girl. I could tell she felt just as awkward as I did,” he recalls. “There was a male doctor supervising, but she was the one who had to examine me and feel it. It was a bit of a mad experience.”
