Katherine Ryan has revealed she’s battling skin cancer. The comedian revealed the shock diagnosis in the latest episode of her podcast, Telling Everyone Everything. It’s the second time 41 year old Katherine has been diagnosed with melanoma. She explained that she felt uneasy about a mole on her arm and went to see a doctor, where she was initially given the all-clear. She told listeners: “I know you should never google things but I’m actually really worried. Normally I’m that positive person. I think it’s really easy to take a diagnosis of ‘you’re healthy’ and walk away.” She said: “But the mole kept changing, I know a lot about melanoma, I had stage 2 melanoma as a very young woman – aged 21 – on my leg, I’ve spoken about that before.”
Katherine Ryan opened up on her shock diagnosis
(Image: Getty Images)
“It was flat, it wasn’t that big but it was melanoma. It is a deadly form of skin cancer and it does spread quickly. “I just thought that this mole wasn’t right. It’s on my arm. I showed pictures of it on my social media. I went in and I wanted the doctor to remove it and stitch it up in a straight line. “But even when he looked at it, he was like, ‘it’s not melanoma, it’s totally fine, I will do a shave and send it away for testing’.”
Katherine Ryan with her partner Bobby, and children Violet, Fred and Fenna
(Image: UKTV)
However, the doctor later called her back and confirmed it was melanoma. Of her diagnosis, Katherine emotionally said: “And he [the doctor] rang me today and it did come back as melanoma. Early melanoma. The doctor was shocked and told me I need to go back. “It just feels crazy to me, what could have happened, if I hadn’t been my own advocate – and I will continue to be my own advocate.” The star previously opened up about having melanoma when she was in her early twenties – when she had a “golf-ball sized” lump on her leg. Speaking to The Guardian, she admitted she was too young to take it in at the time. “I just joked that it was free lipo,” she said. Katherine and her childhood sweetheart Bobby have two children together daughter Fenna, two, and son Fred, three. She also has a 15-year-old daughter Violet from her previous relationship with boyfriend Alex Edelman.
