Mark Wright has opened up about both his and his dad’s cancer scares as he admitted he suffers from “health anxiety”.
The former TOWIE star appeared on Loose Women for a Soccer Aid special alongside Dragons’ Den star Stephen Bartlett as well as panel regulars Ruth Langsford and Frankie Bridge.
The 35-year-old reality star was asked about his cancer scare, which resulted in him having a 4.7 inch tumour removed from his armpit, as part of a discussion about whether women handle illness better than men.
The reality star said he was quick to show the huge lump to his family when it appeared last year, but noted that his dad was dismissive of it.
Mark said: “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.
“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.”
Mark then said the family were hit with another cancer scare, when he noticed a “red scab” on his dad’s chest and suspected it could be a form of skin cancer.
He told his fellow panellists: “I took him to the hospital and it was a form of skin cancer. They removed it, luckily it was benign.
“But, I remember seeing his face. He was shocked and he never gets things checked.”
Mark noted that prostate cancer runs in his family, after his grandfather, great uncle and uncle all battled it.
He said: “We’re told we have a high chance of having the prostate cancer gene, so we all have to go and get checked.
“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.”
When Mark shared the news that he was cancer-free after his surgery last year, he also detailed the effect his health scare had on his wife, Michelle Keegan, and the rest of his loved ones.
"I’m not gonna lie, it really gave me and my family a scare," Mark shared in a social media post.
"Going back to this operation, I have not been able to train for two weeks. This is the first longish walk I have been on since the operation, so the first bit of exercise I have been able to do and honestly just already my head is clear.
"Staying in and recovering has left me feeling a little bit low and not very motivated."
