Janet Street-Porter announces she has developed skin cancer after mistaking lump for insect bite, Loose Women panelist Janet Street-Porter has been secretly battling skin cancer in lockdown.
Janet Street-Porter has revealed she has developed skin cancer after mistaking the lump for an insect bite.
The 73-year-old took to Loose Women on Tuesday to tell viewers of her health scare during a debate over whether the public thinks it's safe to return to hospitals for check-ups.
She announced she would be returning to the hospital on Wednesday to have a procedure to remove the cancer from her nose after it was delayed for four months due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Janet was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma after a trip to Australia earlier this year, admitting she was "shocked" to discover she had the illness because she is "militant" about applying factor 50 sun cream to protect herself.
The veteran presenter had an appointment booked to remove the cancer three days before the UK went into lockdown in March, with it being postponed until this week.
9Opening up on her diagnosis to her co-stars Andrea McLean, Brenda Edwards, and Jane Moore, she said: "I showed this tiny spot on my nose to a dermatologist and he immediately referred me to a consultant.
"He said I had a basal cell carcinoma which is a form of skin cancer which has to be removed, if I don't it will get bigger and bigger and I could be left with a very big scar."
Discussing when she was informed she had the illness, she continued: "About four months ago, it was just after Christmas, I came back from Australia. I noticed this spot on my nose, I just thought it was an insect bite.
"I didn't think anything of it, I have regular check-ups for all my moles and I am very anxious about cancer.
"I spend a lot of time outside and I have a friend who died of skin cancer a few years ago, so I'm really militant about it."
She added: "I was going to have it removed but then lockdown happened. Three days before I was going to have it removed.
"So I spent the whole of lockdown getting more and more anxious about it. Although it doesn't look bigger, this kind of cancer grows under the skin so you can't see it.
