Paul Merson admits his skin cancer diagnosis was delayed by his own ‘laziness’ and him ‘being a man’ as he spoke about his battle on Good Morning Britain earlier
Paul Merson issued a warning to England and Scotland’s sweltering World Cup stars as he opened up on his skin cancer ordeal after doctors found a growth on his back.
Former Arsenal and England star Merson says he feared the worst after medics told him he had a cancerous melanoma. He blames himself after admitted “being a man” might have left him putting off getting a mole checked before he was diagnosed back in 2012.
The 58-year-old former footballer, who took part in Strictly Come Dancing back two years ago with former professional dancer Karen Hauer, spoke about his fight with Susanna Reid and Ed Balls on Good Morning Britain today as told the players taking to the fields in 33c heat in the Americas to cream up.
The football great, who battled a 35-year fight with gambling, alcohol, and drug addictions, was on holiday with his family when one of his children noticed he was bleeding on his back. However, he “still went home and didn’t do anything about it”. He said: “I don’t know if it was a man thing or I was scared or something like that.”
Susanna told viewers that Paul ‘blames his own laziness,’ as she added: “He’s now urging others not to make the same mistake and telling the whole England team to slap on the sun cream when they go out and play at the World Cup.”
Ed then commented: “I bet, when you were playing on the hottest day of the year at Highbury or whatever, I bet you never put sun cream on, ever.”
Paul agreed with the presenters, replying that he used to burn and rarely put sun cream on. He added: “It’s strange really because it was on my back, which, even when I used to go sunbathing, I’d never lie on my front and get my back done, it was just by walking around. I had a mole on my back.
“It just kept on getting worse. I was on holiday with my kids, playing golf, and I sat down for a break. When we got up, I had a white t-shirt on, and one of my boys went, ‘Oh, you must’ve leaned on something.”
Paul eventually called his doctor and explained he needed to have his mole looked at, which his doctor had already told him he needed to do in the past.
Paul continued: “I had a check-up twice a year, which was scary really. Going twice a year, going in and having your scan, then the next day going in for the results, and you’re always going in with that fear, ‘has it come back?’ That was horrible.”
He then explained that melanoma was preventable by wearing sunscreen, as he praised World Cup football star Dan Burn, who is raising awareness of applying sunscreen.
The former England legend, who has gambled away more than £7million over the past three decades, has given up booze as well as betting and now wants to understand why his life has been so blighted by his addiction – and explore the relationship between gambling and football.
The dad-of-seven, who sometimes placed single wagers worth £80,000, told the Mirror in 2021 that he is “frightened to death” of relapsing.
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays on ITV from 6am
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
