Christopher Dean suffered an "agonising" health scare that left him wondering whether he would "live or die".
Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean recently announced their departures from Dancing on Ice, after 50 years of skating together. They will both retire at the end of the year.
Questions surrounding their health followed the announcement, causing discussion of Dean's serious scare in 2015 to resurface.
Dean started to experience “agonising” stomach pains after filming 2015's series of Dancing on Ice. He had never experienced poor health apart from skating injuries, and so sought medical attention.
After a colonoscopy, the skater was told he had a two centimetres growth, called a polyp, on his colon. It then had to be determined whether or not this growth was cancerous.
Speaking to The Mirror, Dean said: “I was told about the various types of polyps – hyperplastic and inflammatory polyps do not carry a risk of developing into cancer, but my doctor was convinced I had an adenoma or adenomatous polyp.
“Considered pre-cancerous, if left alone they can turn into colon cancer. I found myself preparing for the fact I might have a life-changing illness.
“For two weeks, I thought I might need a serious operation that would have involved taking away a good chunk of my stomach.
“It was the longest two weeks of my life not knowing if I was going to live or die – it was a scary prospect being faced with my own mortality.”
Luckily, the result of further testing showed the growth was benign.
Dean reflected: "I can’t tell you the relief I felt and it really did help me put things into perspective about the previous skating injuries I had incurred.”
If Dean’s polyp had shown to be cancerous, he would have needed an operation to remove it, as well as a chunk of his stomach in the process.
The Mayo Clinic explains that a colon polyp is made up of a small clump of cells that form the lining of the colon. Usually, polyps are harmless, but over time some can develop into cancer.
The best prevention for colon cancer is regular screening for and removal of polyps.
The Mayo Clinic urges anyone with the following symptoms to seek medical attention, as they could indicate that something is wrong with your colon:
- Rectal bleeding.
- Change in stool colour.
- Change in bowel habits.
- Pain.
- Iron deficiency anaemia.
Speaking on Dancing on Ice about His and Torvill's impending retirement, Dean said: "We're 50 years skating together.
"It's our last tour, last time round, so when we've finished the tour our skates will be hung up."
The ice skating legends are bracing themselves for their farewell performances in 'Torvill & Dean: Our Last Dance' which kicks off on April 12 and runs until May 11.
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