Loose Women’s Janet Street-Porter speaks about her cancer self-referral

Virgin Radio

18 Jan 2023, 08:23

Janet Street-Porter has been talking about her 2020 cancer diagnosis, and how she referred herself to a specialist when she had a melanoma on her nose.

During a discussion about the NHS on the Loose Women panel, the presenter talked about how she learned she had skin cancer in 2020. She was diagnosed following self-referral, having returned home from a holiday in Australia and she initially thought she had a mosquito bite on her nose.

In the conversation, which was broadly about Keir Starmer's plan to reform the NHS, the journalist, writer, and media personality spoke about deciding to self-refer, saying: "I was glad that I had done it because I could not put up with the waiting list, and the idea that I might have to wait months.”

Talking to Ruth Langsford, Linda Robson and Frankie Bridge on the hit ITV daytime show, Janet continued: “At the moment, everybody wants results, and you can’t really blame them. They’ve been through Covid. And when I was diagnosed, oh, this thing on my face isn’t just any old spot. It’s a basal cell carcinoma. I mean, I wanted it got rid of.”

Following surgery in 2020, Janet made a full recovery, and at the time she urged Loose Women viewers to keep an eye on any changes and blemishes on their skin. “I want to say to everybody watching, do look at all the little blemishes on your skin and especially moles if they change size or shape or anything,” she said.

The broadcaster added: “I always did, I was always really careful, I always put factor 50 on my face. It can happen to so many people.”

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