Chris Evans has said he loves his “proud scar” following his melanoma removal because it has given him a “sunnier tomorrow”.
The 58-year-old broadcaster was diagnosed with skin cancer in August last year and was cancer-free eight weeks later thanks to an early diagnosis.
Speaking to a consultant dermatologist on his Virgin Radio show as part of Skin Cancer Awareness Month, he said: “I’m now sporting a proud scar. I’ve got my scar on the back of my calf.
“I love my scar, because the scar led me to a sunnier tomorrow, and I’m still in that tomorrow today, and it’s a wonderful place to be.”
Skin Cancer Awareness Month: Dr Ellie Rashid explains how to look out for the ABCDE of melanoma
👇https://t.co/vwHtYdR5DI#skincancerawarenessmonth #DrEllieRashid #ChrisEvansBreakfastShow #VirginRadioUK pic.twitter.com/MtT9p6pq06
— Virgin Radio UK (@VirginRadioUK) May 22, 2024
He added: “My dermatologist, she says from now on I always have to wear skin protection if any of my skin is naked because I’m so susceptible.
“This is the first summer that I will have had skin cancer – I don’t have it anymore, thank God, and I am just covering up now.
“We go on a holiday on Sunday, we’re going to Portugal. And so my long-sleeve UV tops arrived, last night we tried them on. Is that all good? Because I still want to go swimming with the kids.”
Discussing how he feels about the sun now, he said: “People who tan really well tend to not be as frightened of the sun as somebody like me has always been, obviously.
“I’m not as frightened now, bizarrely, as I’ve been for years and years, because I’m forewarned and I know what to do.
“In a way, I’m relieved by it. I’ve made peace with it, if you like.”
Do you know your ABCDE's when it comes to checking yourself for moles? 🔍
Dr Ellie Rashid tells you what they are!
Watch the full interview here: https://t.co/hvL2S0xP3n#skincancer #skincare pic.twitter.com/6XIEPOwXnn
— Virgin Radio UK (@VirginRadioUK) May 22, 2024
In August 2023, Evans told listeners of his Virgin Radio UK Breakfast Show that he had been diagnosed with the early stages of skin cancer and that he had caught it quickly, meaning it was “as treatable as cancer can possibly be”.
The following month he revealed he had been given the all-clear, eight weeks after he was first diagnosed.