WWE legend John Cena has opened up about being diagnosed with skin cancer and called for others to be aware of the signs.
The 16-time world champion, who has had a successful transition into Hollywood on the big screen, will retire from wrestling at the end of the year after announcing his retirement from the ring.
In a shock twist, fan favourite Cena has turned to the dark side for the first time in two decades but the 47-year-old has taken a slight break from his wrestling exploits to launch a new campaign promoting using sunscreen after admitting he rarely wore it growing up and it led to complications which had to be addressed later in his life.
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In an interview with People, Cena explained: “I grew up in a small town next to Newburyport and Salisbury Beach. Some of my earliest memories of summer are of small carnivals and people walking the beachside.
“My mom raised five boys and I'm pretty sure she just wanted to just keep us alive and healthy. She had her hands full for sure, so I certainly do not blame her. And me being born in '77, this was kind of all new knowledge.”
However, when he moved to sunny Florida in his twenties, Cena "was stubborn" and refrained from putting on suncream regularly, feeling as though the "problem would never reach me.
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The "minimal protection" which saw him neglect his skin ended up catching up with Cena at a certain point and he had to have a cancerous spot removed through surgery.
While that was a success, Cena had to have another procedure a year later and says the scar is present and visible whenever he competes in a WWE ring.
Cena said: “It wasn’t until I went to a dermatologist and got a skin checkup and had a cancerous spot removed from my right pec. I was very lucky to have a great dermatologist who kind of, I guess for lack of a better term, held me by the hand and let me know that I wasn’t alone.
“The stats on this are overwhelming, but as much as I learn about them, those numbers don’t mean anything. I think the best way to hammer home a point is human-to-human connection. And I as a human can tell you: Man, that phone call’s not what you want to get because it is unpredictable and you don’t know how bad it’s going to be.
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“A year later I went back and had another spot removed close to my right shoulder. It shows up like a white polka dot on the side of my chest and on my shoulder. If you watch WWE, you'll be able to see them.”
The scares prompted Cena to completely shift his approach and he now opts to "mass protect" instead and will "hopefully be a mouthpiece to get people to use sunscreen" through the 'You Can't See Me' campaign'.
He added: "I'm so grateful to be able to dodge those two bullets, but I wear them as a reminder of, ‘Hey man, you need to take the extra few seconds to protect yourself every day.'"
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In WWE Cena is now gearing up for his final WrestleMania match when he takes on Cody Rhodes in the main event of the two-night extravaganza in Las Vegas.
Cena has claimed he will win a record-breaking 17th world title and retire with the belt as the "last real champion".
Josh Lawless