Paul Merson has issued a warning to England and Scotland's World Cup stars as he opened up about his skin cancer ordeal after doctors found a growth on his back. The former Arsenal and England star admitted he feared the worst when medics told him he had a cancerous melanoma. He blames himself for delaying getting a mole checked before his diagnosis in 2012, citing his own 'laziness' and 'being a man.'
Merson's Battle with Skin Cancer
The 58-year-old former footballer, who participated in Strictly Come Dancing two years ago with Karen Hauer, spoke about his fight on Good Morning Britain. He urged players competing in 33°C heat in the Americas to apply sunscreen. Merson, who has battled gambling, alcohol, and drug addictions for 35 years, 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.'
Warning to Football Stars
Susanna Reid told viewers that Paul 'blames his own laziness,' adding: '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 Balls 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, 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.'
Delayed Diagnosis
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. He 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 explained that melanoma was preventable by wearing sunscreen and praised World Cup star Dan Burn for raising awareness about sunscreen use.
Merson's Ongoing Struggles
The former England legend, who has gambled away more than £7 million over three decades, has given up alcohol and betting. He now wants to understand why his life has been so blighted by 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.
