Mark Wright has opened up on how his cancer scare unveiled fresh fears for him seven months on from his operation to have a tumour removed.
Former The Only Way Is Essex star Mark, 35, discovered a lump in his armpit last year which he said was "big enough to cause concern".
After seeing a number of specialists Mark's lump grew and he later underwent an operation to have the 12cm tumour removed.
Mark candidly opened up about his health scare in December. And now, in an exclusive interview with the Mirror, he revealed the journey has affected him – revealing his awareness around his health has stepped up.
Speaking to the Mirror in collaboration with California Almonds, Mark revealed: "I've always been quite aware of my health.
"I wouldn't say I'm a hypochondriac but I definitely always get checks. If I ever feel anything's not completely right, I'll go and get it checked out."
He added: "But it has scared me because it makes you feel you're not immortal.
"You always think: 'Ah yes, it's not going to happen to me'. And then when something like that happens, it does give you a bit of a fear."
Mark had the operation to remove the tumour seven months ago but, he is still experiencing some side effects from the op, including a stinging sensation in his arm.
He explained: "Where it was where the operation was, there was a lot of nerves and nerve endings there so they had to be really careful and that's why it had to be so particularly done.
"I chose my surgeon wisely because you can really mess the nerves up and, to be fair, even now down on my forearm, my skin stings a little bit.
"And I have weird sensations and pins and needles sometimes."
Mark added: "It's fine now but when the first month to two months, it was really painful so I actually had to just come away from the gym and just watch my diet more."
The TV also revealed how the recovery was "tough", particularly because of the placement of lump.
"It was tough," Mark said of the healing process. "It was quite a big operation and it was under your armpit and when you're walking your arm moves the whole time, so it was it wasn't a nice feeling."
He added: "I just got through it and know that better days are ahead."
Mark first opened up about his scare days after removing the lump. Mark shared a series of photos to show followers the size of the lump and later urged his followers: " If you notice anything that doesn’t look or feel quite right. Don’t leave it.
Nothing in life is more important than your health and well-being. Get checked, check yourself and make sure you take good care of yourself."
Mark was speaking in collaboration with California Almonds. During the chat said: It's something that I've always snacked on since I was probably 22 or 23 when I started doing the gym and I had my first trainer.
"I always used to find that with the diet I have and what I eat in terms of in between meals, I would sometimes feel a lack of energy. So this trainer told me that handful of almonds is great and ever since then I've always done it.
"And I'm feeling a lot of energy, I have a handful of almonds and feel it always works for me."
Mark Wright is working with California Almonds to highlight the importance of eating well to maintain energy levels and achieve your goals.
