I'M A Celebrity contestant Dean Gaffney has opened up about his terrifying cancer scare and says he feels lucky to be alive.
It was during his time on the ITV show where medical checks flagged up warning signs for bowel cancer.
The former EastEnders star said he underwent a medical examination in 2020 as he was being considered for an appearance on the show’s Covid-safe series in Wales.
The 45-year-old was shocked to learn that doctors found a number of polyps in his large intestine and that he needed an immediate opperation.
Speaking to the Mirror, Gaffney revealed: “There is no doubt I’m A Celeb and its medical team saved my life.
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"I might not be here today if it wasn’t for them finding what they did.
“Within hours I was in a hospital gown and under general anaesthetic and they took it out.”
When he came round, the doctor told him: “Had you not come to us today, in three years that could have turned to bowel cancer. You’ve been very lucky.”
He added: “I still remember his exact words. I feel so, so lucky. It’s made me so careful about checking my stools.”
The soap star is now urging anyone worried about signs of cancer to get checked.
He hopes he can raise awareness of the disease like Bowelbabe fundraiser Dame Deborah James, who sadly passed in June last year aged 40.
The actor said: “Dame Deborah was an inspiration to so many. I’ve so much respect for her fight and the awareness she raised for bowel cancer.
“If I can do a small fraction of that for men, it’d make me very happy.”
Gaffney played Robbie Jackson in EastEnders in various stints from 1993 to 2019.
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