Mark Wright has taken to Instagram to reveal the shocking news of a recent cancer scare which led to the star undergoing surgery to remove a 12cm tumour.
The former TOWIE star bravely shared his story of finding a lump in his armpit, hoping his story could help others.
He wrote, “Ok, it’s been a tough call whether or not to speak about this. One part of me wants to keep something like this private and the other part is thinking, if I can help/potentially save 1 person, well…. this is the right thing to do."
He continued, “So here goes. I discovered a lump in my breast/armpit area. Not very big, but enough to cause concern and to be cautious enough to get it checked. I saw a doctor who passed it on as “a fatty lump that doesn’t need any treatment” so I just left it.
"After some time the lump grew and began to bother me. I am someone that when it comes to life in general, I leave no stone unturned. When it involves health, this idiom quadruples.”
The star, who has been married to actress Michelle Keegan since 2015, was open and honest with fans, writing, “I saw another specialist who happens to be a breast consultant for a second opinion. He was certain after seeing an ultrasound scan that it was a LIPOMA (a BENIGN soft tissue tumour) however with it being rather large, he had a tiny bit of concern that it has/could turn in to a SARCOMA (a cancerous malignant tumour)
"However he was not 100% either way so to be more sure I had an MRI. From the result of the MRI, still this consultant did not want to rule out the worst because of the speed and the size of the growth".
CHECK OUT: 11 TOWIE couples you completley forgot about
11 TOWIE couples you completely forgot about
1 of 11Mark Wright and Sam Faiers
Mark and Sam's on/off relationship goes all the way back to when she was 16 and they met on MySpace (aw, those were the days). They briefly dated during their time on TOWIE but were never able to give things a proper go before he quit the show in 2011.
2 of 11Kirk Norcross and Amy Childs
Kirk and Amy's flirtationship was one of the main storylines during the first season of TOWIE and they eventually briefly dated before splitting in 2011. In a 2013 appearance on This Morning, Kirk admitted, "I will still love Amy until the day I die - she is literally like the girl version of me. When it didn't work out, it broke my heart really... and it wasn't her fault, it was both of our fault."
3 of 11Gemma Collins and Charlie King
Gemma and Charlie briefly dated in 2012 but split after she grew concerned about his friendship with Bobby Norris. Two years later, Charlie came out as gay during an appearance on This Morning. He's still friends with Gemma and even admitted in 2017 that he would consider being the GC's sperm donor if she asked.What a turn of events that would be.
.jpg?auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
4 of 11Lauren Goodger and Tom Pearce
Remember the days when Joey Essex's BFF Tom Pearce romanced basically every woman within a 10 mile radius of Brentwood? Lauren Goodger became one his many conquests following her split from Mark Wright but they hit the rocks when she caught wind of him bragging about their rendezvous.
5 of 11Mario Falcone and Chloe Sims
It's fair to say Chloe Sims has been unlucky in love over the years but things looked up for her when she began dating close pal Mario (fun fact: Mario's sister is queen of the jungle Giovanna Fletcher). Things moved quickly for the pair and she even admitted she loved him - causing friction with BFF Lauren Pope who'd previously dated Mario - but he wasn't ready to settle down and called things off.
6 of 11Harry Derbidge and Bobby Norris
After three years away from the TOWIE scene, OG cast member Harry Derbidge returned as Bobby Norris' boyfriend (in some very skimpy swimwear) during the cast's then annual jaunt to Marbs.Their relationship ended in tears though when Harry confessed to sleeping with his ex while on holiday in Tenerife.
7 of 11Dan Osborne and Lucy Mecklenburgh
They've now found love with soap star other halves Jacqueline Jossa and Ryan Thomas but before that, Dan Osborne and Lucy Mecklenburgh were an item.They began dating in 2013 but called it quits amid claims he knew about his ex Megan Tomlin being pregnant before getting with Lucy.
8 of 11Charlie Sims and Ferne McCann
Ferne McCann's on/off relationship with Chloe Sims' brother Charlie provided LOTS of dramz on TOWIE over the years, with rumours she cheated on him cropping up more than once.Eventually Charlie publicly quit the show AND dumped Ferne at the same time in a series of tweets in 2014. Awks...
9 of 11Dan Edgar and Kate Wright
Before she wed footballer Rio and became Mrs Ferdinand, Kate Wright joined TOWIE as the ex of Dan Edgar, who reportedly dumped her to star in the show.She took him back after his romances with Lauren Pope and Jess Wright but it wasn't to be and they eventually split for good.
10 of 11Shelby Tribble and Tom McDonnell
Tom McDonnell joined TOWIE alongside a whole host of newbies including Harry Lee and Chloe Brockett in 2019 and soon caught the eye of Shelby Tribble following her split from Sam Mucklow.Sam soon came back on the scene though and Shelby dumped Tom to reunite with her ex. Sam and Shelby later quit the show together and now have a child together.
11 of 11James Argent and Jasmin Walia
In between his long-running relationships with Lydia Bright and Gemma Collins, James Argent was set up on a blind date with Jasmin Walia and they appeared to hit it off. Things seemed to move too quickly for his liking though, causing him to run from her house after being introduced to her parents. Oh, Arg...
Read more
TOWIE: uncovered footage shows an actual film star in the show
Remember TOWIE’s Amber Dowding? Her latest venture has divided fans
Mark continued, "At this stage I moved on to a SARCOMA specialist. This specialist saw the scans around 10 days ago and today I was in theatre having this little git removed. His fast and incredible turn around was due to the fact he did not want to leave it any longer and wanted it out to prevent the rare risk of a LIPOMA turning into a sarcoma overtime".
Mark confirmed the tumour was not cancerous, writing, “He also could not 100% confirm by the MRI that this was definitely a benign tumour and not something more sinister.”
His celebrity pals were quick to wish him well, with former TOWIE co-star Lydia Bright, who is rumoured to berekindling her romance with Mark's pal James 'Arg' Argent, writing, “Thank goodness you followed this up and all is well 🙏”. TV’s Paddy McGuinness also commented “Back on the mend now son. 👊”.
Denise Van Outen’s partner, and Celebrity Gogglebox star, Eddie Boxshall praised Mark for his courage in sharing his story. He said, “Well done mate for saying this as I personally know what is men can be like and push it under the carpet . Get well pal and top marks for the post”.
WATCH: Chloe Brockett on her secret row with Yaz, feuding with the Sims sisters and Mark Wright returning
The former TOWIE star shared photos of himself in his hospital bed as well as the tumour in his arm pit and once it had been removed, writing “The tumour will be sent off for further testing just to be 110% sure but this top doctor is certain from his incredible experience that we have done the job and there is nothing sinister to worry about. So I’m all good 👌🏻”
Ending his emotional message on a happier note, Mark made sure to encourage others to do the right thing.
“MORAL OF THE STORY: If you notice anything that doesn’t look or feel quite right. Don’t leave it. Nothing in life is more important than your health and well-being. Get checked, check yourself and make sure you take good care of yourself. 💙"