Dr Hilary Jones discusses bowel cancer awareness acronym

“I found myself preparing for the fact I might have a life-changing illness,” Christopher Dean revealed. “I thought I might need a serious operation.” When confronted with the news that he had a polyp in his bowel, Christoper contemplated his mortality. “It was the longest two weeks of my life,” Christopher told the Mirror when it came to waiting for the results of his biopsy.

“Not knowing if I was going to live or die – it was a scary prospect being faced with my own mortality,” he continued.

“My doctor was convinced I had an adenoma or adenomatous polyp,” said the 63-year-old.

Adenomatous polyps “may be precancerous”, Medical News Today highlighted.

It was bowel cancer that Christoper feared, with most people diagnosed with the condition being over 60 years old.

Christopher Dean on his health scare (Image: Getty)

The NHS said: “Bowel cancer is one of the most common types of cancer diagnosed in the UK.”

Three main symptoms of bowel cancer are:

Persistent blood in faeces
Persistent change in your bowel habit
Persistent lower abdominal pain, bloating or discomfort.

Any symptoms that linger for three weeks or more are best investigated by a medical professional.

Speaking about his health scare, Christopher said: “Luckily, in the end, the biopsy results came back and the polyp was benign.

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“I can’t tell you the relief I felt and it really did help me put things into perspective.”

Christopher was told he needs a check-up every five years.

“But the body is an amazing tool and it strives to repair itself as much as it can.”

Although Christopher’s surprise diagnosis occurred in 2015, now he is in his 60s, he still needs to be cautious about the disease.

Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean are the judges on Dancing On Ice (Image: Getty)

The NHS emphasised: “Most people diagnosed with [bowel cancer] are over the age of 60.”

Aside from age, risk factors include a diet high in red and processed meat and smoking.

Alcohol is also a contributory factor to disease, as well as obesity and inactivity.

Having spent many years on the ice, one can only hope that Christopher still keeps active.

Cancer symptoms (Image: Express)

In this year’s Dancing On Ice, celebrities include:

Kimberly Wyatt
Connor Ball
Ria Hebden
Kye Whyte
Brendan Cole
Rachel Stevens
Regan Gascoigne
Ben Foden
Liberty Poole
Stef Reid
Mark Berry (Bez)
Sally Dynevor.

Tune into the 14th series of the TV show where Christopher will be judging alongside Jayne Torvill, Ashley Banjo and Oti Mabuse.

Presenters will be the famous duo Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby.

Dancing On Ice will air on Sunday, January 23 at 6.30pm on ITV.