Reality star Pete Wicks is urging men to “check their bollocks” after a testicular cancer scare earlier this year.
The ex-Towie hunk will strip for ITV ’s festive special The Real Full Monty: Jingle Balls to raise awareness of the need to check for signs of the killer disease. Pete, 35, whose uncle suffered testicular cancer, found a lump in January but ignored it as it grew for three months, blaming fear and male ego. He only went to the GP after the lump got so big he felt self-conscious on dates. “It was affecting parts of my life,” said Pete. “I was seeing someone and became self-conscious. But once I got through that stage it was, ‘Woah, if it is cancer, what would that do to my mum?’. So I plucked up the courage to stop being a big wimp about it.”
Pete, who co-hosts podcast Staying Relevant with best pal and I’m A Celeb star Sam Thompson, had a test and panicked when it proved inconclusive. He had scans – with an agonising three-week wait to hear his fate. Pete said: “I was fearful. When you find a lump, especially down there, you think ‘Oh s**t’. You don’t want anything to be wrong with your wedding tackle. I kept it to myself and didn’t even tell Mum. Blokes always want to be OK and never a burden. It’s ego pride and not a good thing to do.”
Fortunately, the lump was not cancerous and he had it drained. “I’m so blessed mine turned out fine,” he said. “The longer you leave things it can have a devastating effect. That’s why shows like this are so important.” The celebs on the show include former royal butler Paul Burrell, who is battling prostate cancer. Pete said: “Burrell’s bum tattoo will be etched in my brain for eternity. At the start he was very self-conscious and midway through he turned into a completely different man – we couldn’t get him clothed.”
The Real Full Monty: Jingle Balls airs tomorrow and Tuesday at 9pm on ITV
