Former England footballer Paul Merson, who appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2024, has issued an important message to the England football team currently in America for the World Cup after his own health scare. The 58-year-old spoke about his melanoma cancer diagnosis on Good Morning Britain, urging players to protect themselves from the sun.
Paul Merson's Cancer Diagnosis
Paul was diagnosed with skin cancer in 2012 after delaying a hospital visit. He discussed his experience with Susanna Reid and Ed Balls on Tuesday's show (June 16). Susanna 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 applied sun cream.
The Discovery of the Mole
Paul explained: '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.' It had bled through. I got home, and I still didn't do anything about it. I don't know if it was a man thing or I was scared.'
Paul eventually called his doctor and had the mole examined, which his doctor had previously advised. After having it cut out, he was told he had melanoma cancer and needed further treatment. He received 50 stitches and required two scans a year for five years.
Ongoing Scans and Fear
Paul shared: '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 emphasized that melanoma is preventable by wearing sunscreen and praised World Cup star Dan Burn for raising awareness. Dan Burn, whose Instagram bio now reads 'Dan Won't Burn', highlights the importance of protecting every area, especially the back of the neck. Burn said: 'As a defender, I know how important it is to cover every angle, but I'll admit the back of my neck isn't always part of my game plan. It's an easy area to miss, but one that's vulnerable to sun damage.'
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays on ITV from 6am.
