Holby City and Game of Thrones actor, Rob Ostlere, is calling for people to regularly check their skin in an attempt to spot early signs of malignant melanoma
Rob’s Holby City character, Arthur Digby, is fighting for survival after battling with melanoma for a second time.
Having acted out the life of a skin cancer patient, Rob is hoping that May’s Melanoma Awareness Month will encourage more people to give themselves, or their partners, a once-a-month skin check.
He said: “Whilst playing a character that has been affected by melanoma I’ve become increasingly aware of the importance of regular skin checks.
Self examinations, can alert you to changes in your skin and aid in the early detection of skin cancer.”
National skin cancer charity, Melanoma UK, will be promoting #MelanomaCheck in a bid to increase awareness of the disease, and hope that Rob’s words will inspire others:
Gillian Nuttall, founder of Melanoma UK commented:
“The melanoma story line in Holby has certainly done a good job in raising awareness of the disease. Our helpline has seen an increase in calls from people who otherwise might not have paid attention to a skin change. Rob Ostlere’s portrayal of a patient has resonated with a number of melanoma sufferers.”
In February, X-Men actor Hugh Jackman, appealed to people to wear sun cream and get regular skin checks after having his fifth skin cancer removed since 2013.
Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer and over 12,500 new cases were diagnosed last year.
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