I burst into tears when the doctor said I had melanoma

Ex-footballer Paul Merson talks about surviving skin cancer and urges others: go and get it checked’.

- KATIE WRIGHT

FANS who have gone to Qatar for the World Cup have to contend with high temperatures and lots of sunshine, meaning sunscreen is a must.

Having survived skin cancer, exEngland footballer Paul Merson never skips sunblock nowadays, but that wasn't always the case.

"I would never put cream on," says Paul, who played for Arsenal for 11 years and earned 21 caps for England in the 1990s. "I was a sun worshipper - I'm not going to lie.

"We have this thing of like, you get suntanned, you just feel better about yourself, and I was one of those people." In 2012, after putting off a visit to the doctor for months, Paul got a mole on his back tested and two days later received the devastating news.

"My doctor said, 'You've got melanoma, you need to come in ASAP! "I just burst into tears. I went in the next day or the day after and I had it cut out. I had 50 stitches in my back." Fortunately, the cancer hadn't spread, Paul recalls. "They were waiting to see if I would have to take tablets or have chemo.