Actor Lee MacDonald, who played Zammo in Grange Hill, said he’s undergoing a medical procedure to remove pre-cancerous cells after spotting a ‘little rash’ on his cheek
Grange Hill actor Lee MacDonald says he’s getting a medical procedure after spotting a “little rash”.
The 57-year-old, who played Zammo in the BBC kids drama, revealed he will get the small mark on his cheek burnt off as it has pre-cancerous cells. The EastEnders star appeared on Good Morning Britain on Monday (July 7) to discuss the health issue.
Lee revealed his first skin cancer scare last year after a similar blemish was found on his face. After last year’s cancer scare, Lee discovered a “little rash” on his cheek and consulted his doctor – and it turns out the spot could turn cancerous if not treated.
“I booked an appointment just for the doctors, I’ve got a little rash. It’s a keratosis, which is a pre-cancerous spot, so I’m going to have it burnt out,” he said, revealing the small spot could turn into cancer if left untreated.
He urged viewers of the ITV show to keep their skin safe by wearing sunscreen and “looking at blemishes” on the face in case they spot anything unusual. Lee added: “It was just on the back of going and getting checked out, I think we really need to concentrate on putting skincare on and looking at blemishes on your face and going to get them checked out.”
However, it is a condition which runs in the family, reports the Mirror. Lee told hosts Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley that his father had skin cancer – he was a driver and would sit with his arm out of the car window.
“Later in life, he had a skin cancer cut out from that arm,” he said. Richard said it’s a common form of cancer for lorry drivers across the United States, who rest their arms on the windows of vehicles. “It’s really common in America, they do these huge long distances on the highway, with one elbow out of the window.”
Lee recalled how he would use sunbeds in his earlier years before going on a night out. “Before I went to nightclubs years ago, I would lay on the sunbeds for an hour a week. I’d do a Tuesday and Thursday from about 17 until I was around 26 (years old).
“That’s what the doctor said it is; it’s probably the sunbeds rather than the sun; I don’t go out in the sun much because of- being aware of the risks.”
Now, when Lee goes fishing each weekend with his son, he is frequently topping up his sunscreen, even on cloudy days. “Funnily enough, I got told off by his step-mum because he was burnt – it wasn’t even that sunny,” he said, adding: “The rays were coming through. Yeah, cover-up.”
Lee also revealed that he hadn’t heard anything official about a possible Grange Hill reboot. “There’s been a few whispers in the background,” he said, adding: “It’s still in the background. I would definitely be up for that, absolutely.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
