5 celebrities who battled skin cancer
With over one million skin cancers treated in Australia every year, it is clear that skin cancer can happen to anyone! Let’s take a look at some of the well-known celebrities who have been diagnosed with skin cancer during their careers.
1. Hugh Jackman
One of Australia’s most well-known actors, Hugh Jackman was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma in 2013 and has since been treated for several skin cancers. He now urges other Aussies to be sun-safe and get checked.
“Please remember to wear sunscreen with a high level of SPF, no matter the season.”
2. Ewan McGregor
In 2008, Scottish actor Ewan McGregor had two skin cancers treated on his face. In a BBC interview he said, “I just went to have [my moles] checked and I had a little skin cancer under my eye. It’s all good now. But it was something that was best to be looked at and kept in check.”
3. Andy Cohen
In an interview on the SiriusXM radio show, talk show host Andy Cohen said, “There was a dot on my lip that I had for a while that I was not paying attention to. [A friend] came up to me and goes, ‘What’s happening with your lip? Get that checked out today. That is skin cancer.’ [I saw a doctor and] it was malignant melanoma. I loved to tan, but I’m not that person anymore.”
4. Bob Marley
Bob Marley was a Jamaican singer, songwriter and musician, and considered one of the pioneers of reggae. He died in 1981 aged 36 from a melanoma that started under his toenail four years earlier. We have a blog post here that explores Bob Marley’s melanoma story.
5. Sarah Ferguson
Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, was diagnosed with melanoma in January 2024. In an Instagram post she wrote, “I have been taking time to myself as I have been diagnosed with malignant melanoma, a form of skin cancer, my second cancer diagnosis within a year after I was diagnosed with breast cancer this summer. It was thanks to the great vigilance of my dermatologist that the melanoma was detected when it was.
“I believe my experience underlines the importance of checking the size, shape, colour and texture and emergence of new moles that can be a sign of melanoma and urge anyone who is reading this to be diligent.”
