Hollywood Skin Cancer Curse: Celeb Survivors of Disease Scourge Reveal Horrors of Biopsies, Ops, Stitches, Scan Scares... and Nose Removal Nightmare

Alexa Bliss, who previously participated in WWE’s Unleash You Warrior Campaign for cancer awareness, revealed she was diagnosed with skin cancer in a March 2023 Instagram post.

She uploaded a photo of herself and the bandages on the side of her face alongside the caption: “You should have stayed out of tanning beds. All clear now though!”

The WWE Raw Women's Champion and The Masked Singer alum disclosed she had a spot on her face that got worse. She eventually learned it was basal cell carcinoma after undergoing a biopsy.

CNN anchor Anderson Cooper revealed on his blog that he had a spot of skin cancer removed in 2008.

He revealed in a post: “I hadn’t planned on mentioning this, but I still have stitches and you’ll no doubt notice them tonight.”

Speaking on Jenny McCarthy's SiriusXM radio show in 2020, Andy Cohen shared how his health fight started.

He explained: “There was a dot on my lip that I had for a while that I was not paying attention to.

“Kelly Ripa came up to me and goes: ‘What’s happening with your lip? Get that checked out today. That is skin cancer.’”

He disclosed on Ripa's Live with Kelly that the melanoma diagnosis changed his relationship with the sun. Fortunately, his lip reportedly healed after he had a chunk of it removed.

The abnormal-looking mole Brooke Shields noticed on her face in 2009 turned out to be precancerous, and she learned about it after consulting a doctor.

She told People: “All my girlfriends and I would go up on the roof in New York; we didn’t have to be at the beach.

“You think that because you’re not in the sun anymore, it’s all in the past. And then something like a precancerous spot crops up and you’re made aware of how dangerous it really can be.”

In March, Christie Brinkley shared good and bad news with her fans.

According to the Jack and Jill actress, she had a spot of basal cell carcinoma but fortunately caught it early. Her doctors reportedly got rid of it and stitched her “up to perfection like an haute couture Dior”.

She then reminded her followers: “I’ll be slathering on my SPF 30, reapplying as needed, wearing long sleeves and a wide brim hat. And doing regular total body check ups..that is a MUST!”

At 21 years old, Diane Keaton began battling skin cancer since it was in her “family history”.

She told the Los Angeles Times: “I remember my Auntie Martha had skin cancer so bad they removed her nose. My father had basal skin cancer and my brother had it.”

Keaton was then diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma – but she survived both dreaded diseases.

In 2008, Ewan McGregor dealt with a skin cancer scare that pushed him to have two moles removed from his face.

He assured fans during an interview with the BBC at the time: “It’s all good now. But it was something that was best to be looked at and kept in check.”

Hugh Jackman has been open about his experience with skin cancer after undergoing more than five procedures and biopsies to remove it. His bout started in 2013.

The Greatest Showman star said: “It's always a bit of a shock just hearing the word ‘cancer’.

“Being an Australian it's a very common thing. I never wore sunscreen growing up so I was a prime candidate for it.”

The condition made him remind his fans to put sunscreen on.

In June, Jonas Brothers member Kevin Jonas updated his fans regarding the basal cell carcinoma surgically removed from his head. He showed them a close-up look at the mark while explaining how the spot “started to grow”.

He told his followers: “Make sure to get those moles checked, people!”

Khloé Kardashian underwent a procedure to remove a tumor from her face in 2022. She initially had another procedure due to skin cancer.

The Keeping Up With the Kardashians alum said: “After noticing a small bump on my face and assuming it was something as minor as a zit, I decided to get it biopsied 7 months after realizing it was not budging.

“A few days later I was told I need to have an immediate operation to remove a tumor from my face.”

Kardashian revealed she had a melanoma on her back removed when she was 19. She encouraged others to have their self-examinations and annual check-ups.

Melanie Griffith was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma and had a cancerous spot on her nose removed.

She raised awareness regarding the condition in a 2018 Instagram post, writing: “If any of you have it, get it fixed. If you lay in the sun, are exposed to lots of sun, be CAREFUL. Use sun screen. Get checked out by your Dermatologist. If you don’t have one, get one, or go to your nearest clinic and ask to be tested for it.”

In 2020, Molly-Mae Hague was advised to have a mole removed from her leg. It reportedly developed while she was in the Love Island villa.

She said in an emotional statement: “I never thought at 21 something like this would happen to me and it's very scary but all I know is that I absolutely need to share my story and what I'm going through to raise awareness of the situation.”

Richard Simmons spoke candidly about his skin cancer battle in a Facebook post in March, recalling the time he called his dermatologist due to the “strange-looking bump” under his right eye.

After his doctor scraped it and put it under the microscope, the fitness icon learned he had cancer.

He was advised to undergo three painful procedures to burn his skin and remove the cancer cells.

Sarah Ferguson revealed on Instagram she was diagnosed with malignant melanoma — her second cancer after finding out she also had breast cancer.

She said: “It was thanks to the great vigilance of my dermatologist that the melanoma was detected when it was. Naturally another cancer diagnosis has been a shock but I’m in good spirits and grateful for the many messages of love and support.

“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.”

Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave has battled skin cancer not just once but 13 times!

Her battle started in October 2022 with stage II melanoma, and her most recent procedure occurred in September 2023.

She wrote in a 2023 Instagram update: “As someone who is a controlled person, I’m dealing as best I can with something out of my control. Things I can control: staying on top of my appointments, self-checks, and asking my doctors questions.”