Natasha Hamilton is now cancer-free after a worrying diagnosis.
Atomic Kitten’s Natasha Hamilton has shared her skin cancer scare, initially mistaking the symptoms for a mosquito bite.
The 42-year-old singer appeared on Good Morning Britain to raise awareness about the dangers of cancer, suspecting her use of sunbeds may have contributed to her diagnosis.
Earlier this year, Natasha revealed she was diagnosed with skin cancer last year and underwent surgery to remove a Basal-cell carcinoma from her back.
She described it as “a massive wake-up call” that highlighted the importance of vigilance, avoiding excessive sun exposure and tanning beds, using SPF, and realising she was “not invincible”.
Chatting with Kate Garraway and Rob Rinder, Natasha discussed the moment she realised she needed to get a “freckle” on her back examined, after getting sunburnt while on holiday.
“I wasn’t in the sun a lot because my baby was about five months old and I was breast-feeding, and one afternoon I had her on my lap and my back was in the sun and I burnt,” she explained.
“I had an itchy spot on my back, and I thought it was a mosquito bite. I didn’t think much of it.
“I felt it and went, ‘Oh it’s a mosquito bite,’ it wasn’t until four weeks later when I was at home and it was itching and I went, ‘Hang on a minute,’ that’s a bit long for a mosquito bite, and asked my husband to have a look, and he went, ‘That’s not a bite,’ and took a picture, and when I looked at it, I went, ‘I think I know what that is’.”
She explained, “Originally, it was a dark freckle I’d had on my back for many years. It wasn’t raised, it wasn’t a mole, it was just a freckle.”
Despite being cancer-free now, Natasha remains on high alert after experiencing several health scares since last year.
“Now, I have to be really vigilant and check my skin all the time. Since then, a few things have appeared on my skin, and I’ve had to go back to the dermatologist, and they’re on the watch list.
“This is probably something I’ll have to keep an eye on for the rest of my life.”
Earlier this year, Natasha opened up about her ordeal on Celebrity Skin Talk with Scott McGlynn, saying: “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 are 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.
“And, you know, there have been things since then that have come up, and I’ve had to go and have a look, you know, the microscope on and keeping an eye on a few things.
“So, like a massive wake-up call, and I’m just a big advocate now – get your SPF on! Protect your skin!”
She continued: “I’m fine, honestly. It was found, it was cut away, and yeah, we move on. But it was a kind of ‘Oh, I’m not invincible moment.’
“These things do happen to you sometimes, and you’ve just got to look after yourself.”
Following her skin cancer diagnosis, which she believes was linked to her sunbed use in the 90s, Natasha warns of the dangers of sunbeds. Cancer Research UK echoes this warning, stating that “Sunbeds use high intensity UV radiation for quick tanning. UV radiation can damage the DNA in your skin cells. This can lead to skin cancer, including melanoma, which is the most serious type of skin cancer.”
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV1.
