Coronation Street icon diagnosed with ‘deadly’ cancer after fan spotted ‘sinister’ sign
Coronation Street legend Sue Nicholls - who has played Audrey Roberts on the ITV soap for years - was approached by a fan who had grown worried about the actress
A Coronation Street star was diagnosed with cancer after a fan spotted a “sinister” sign.
Sue Nicholls has played cobbles legend Audrey Roberts on Corrie since 1979. And Audrey has featured in her daughter Gail’s (Helen Worth) final scenes as Helen exited the ITV soap after 50 years.
Sue, 81, was approached by a Corrie fan who had spotted a mole on the star’s shoulder in a 2012 episode of the soap that turned out to be cancerous. The actress got diagnosed with a malignant melanoma and the mole was removed by a surgeon, and she was told she would have to go back for check-ups for the next four years.
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Sue had been advised by the fan, a dermatology specialist nurse, to get the mole checked out, and it’s lucky the actress took her advice. The fan, Anna Bianconi-Moore, said she had noticed the mole had an “irregular” shape when Sue wore a sleeveless night gown in the episode.
She described it as a “sinister-looking lesion” and suggested the soap star go to see a specialist “sooner rather than later” as it may need urgent attention. She then reached out to ITV with a message of concern for Sue, who sought medical attention and ended up discovering the mole had turned into melanoma.
In 2012, Anna told the Daily Mail: “I noticed it was irregular in shape and had at least three different colours”. She added: “These are two of the red-flag signals that distinguish the most deadly form of skin cancer – malignant melanoma. I was obviously incredibly worried for Sue, and felt I needed to do something.”
The pair later met on the set of the soap as Sue wanted to thank the fan personally for reaching out. ITV shared a statement to raise awareness for skin cancer which read: “Whilst millions watched the same scene in their living rooms at home, specialist skin care nurse Anna was able to diagnose the blemish as malignant melanoma after pausing the TV and taking a closer look.
“The 55 year old who’s from Suffolk then got in touch with the show to warn Sue to get the mole checked. In the end, almost a year passed before Sue had the mole removed and the diagnosis of malignant melanoma was confirmed. The actress then appealed for the viewer to get back in touch.”
Anna is said to have used the Ugly Duckling method when it came to detecting the mole. The method is about looking for a mole that stands out and looks different to the others on a person’s body. There is also the ABCDE method.
The Skin Cancer Foundation describes melanoma as a “dangerous” and “serious” form of skin cancer. It starts as cells known as melanocytes but have the ability to spread to other organs if not caught quickly.
Melanomas can come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours. According to the British Skin Foundation, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the UK. At least 100,000 new cases are diagnosed every year and it kills 2,500 people each year.