Atomic Kitten’s Natasha Hamilton reveals secret skin cancer battle as she gives fans health update
ATOMIC Kitten’s Natasha Hamilton has revealed her secret skin cancer battle, as she gave fans a health update.
The singer, 42, appeared on today’s Good Morning Britain, where she revealed how she had been diagnosed last year.
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The star said she had an itch on her back after being in the sun on holiday in Majorca.
Natasha put the discomfort down to a mosquito bite and thought nothing of it.
However, she ended up getting her husband to have a look after it wouldn’t go away.
Natasha then sought medical attention and was diagnosed with skin cancer.
The singer then had a Basal-cell carcinoma removed from her back.
Speaking on GMB, she revealed what happened and said: “So I’d been on holiday and I wasn’t actually in the sun a lot because my baby was only about five months old and I was breastfeeding.
“And one afternoon I had her on my lap and my back was in the sun and I burnt.”
She then talked about how after getting sunburned, an itch on her back would’t go away.
“I felt it and went, ‘Oh, mosquito bite.’ she told hosts Kate Garraway and Rob Rinder.
“It wasn’t until maybe four weeks later when I was at home and it was itching and I was like, hang on a minute, that seems a bit long for a mosquito bite.
“Asked my husband to have a look and he went, ‘Oh, that’s not a bite.’
“And he took the picture and when I looked at it I went, ‘Okay, I think I know what that is.'”
Continuing, Natasha revealed: “And originally it had just been a dark freckle that I’d had on my back for many years.
“It wasn’t even raised, it wasn’t a mole, it was just a freckle.”
Can you spot the cancerous moles from the harmless ones?
IF you’ve spotted a new mole or lingering mark on your skin, don’t be too quick to dismiss it.
It’s important to know what your skin looks like normally, to helps you notice any unusual changes.
The ABCDE rule can be followed to assess the health of a mole.
If your mole falls into the following, it’s worth getting checked:
- Asymmetrical – melanomas usually have two very different halves and are an irregular shape
- Border – melanomas usually have a notched or ragged border
- Colours – melanomas will usually be a mix of two or more colours
- Diameter – most melanomas are usually larger than 6mm in diameter
- Enlargement or elevation – a mole that changes size over time is more likely to be a melanoma
Most melanomas don’t give you symptoms like pain or itching.
Meanwhile, some non-cancerous moles or abnormal patches of skin can be itchy.
So having some of these changes on their own doesn’t mean you definitely have melanoma, but you should still get it checked out.
There are two main types of skin cancer – non melanoma skin cancer and melanoma skin cancer.
Non-melanoma skin cancer includes:
- Basal cell skin cancer – this is also called basal cell carcinoma
- Squamous cell skin cancer – this is also called squamous cell carcinoma
There are a few different types of melanoma too:
- Superficial spreading melanoma
- Nodular melanoma
- Lentigo maligna melanoma
Find out more about distinguishing moles here.
CANCER FREE
The star – who shot to fame in the late 90s with her band Atomic Kitten – said she has since had treatment and is “cancer free”.
Revealing she was back to full health, she told GMB: “So now I have to be really vigilant.
“I have to check my skin all the time.
“Since then, I’ve had a few things appear on my skin where I’ve had to go back to the dermatologist and they’re on the watch list.”
Natasha said although her skin cancer hasn’t been directly linked to sunbeds, she said she overused them at the height of her bands fame in the noughties.
She revealed her diagnosis had been a “massive wake-up call”.
Natasha also revealed how her mum had also battled skin cancer.
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NATASHA’S JOURNEY
Natasha waited a year before revealing she had skin cancer.
Speaking to Scott McGlynn on the Celebrity Skin Talk podcast in May, she said: “I actually had skin cancer last year.
“I had a Basal-cell carcinoma removed from my back, and it was a massive wake-up call for me. It was like, ‘Oh.’
“I have burnt my back so much over the years, and I used sunbeds when I was younger, you know, back in the 90s, it was like everyone used a sunbed before you went on your night out on a Saturday, and the repercussions of that is now I have to be super vigilant in the sun, like I need to have my high factors on…
“I can’t be burning. I have to check my skin religiously for changes in like moles and freckles.”
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