Dancing On Ice: Brendan Cole addresses 'unfair' claims

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In the past Dean said that the only thing that had been wrong with him was the injuries he had incurred from skating. So when he started to suffer from “bad stomach pains” the star knew that something was wrong. However, it was not until after a routine medical check-up that Dean found out he had a two centimeter growth – also known as a polyp – on his colon. These tissue growths most often look like small, flat bumps or tiny mushroom-like stalks and when in the colon or bowel, can potentially lead to cancer.

Speaking to The Mirror about his diagnosis journey back in 2017, Dean explained: “I had not long finished the final series of Dancing on Ice in 2014 when I started to get bad stomach pains. In fact, they were agonising.

“Luckily, I was due to have a routine medical check-up and it involved a colonoscopy. When the results came back, they showed I had a 2cm growth, what is known as a polyp, on my colon.

“I had never heard about polyps but my doctor explained they are growths on the inside lining of the colon and he said a biopsy was needed to ­establish if it was cancerous or not.

“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 precancerous, if left alone they can turn into colon cancer.”

The University of Michigan Health explains that colon or rectal polyps occur in about 25 percent of men and women aged 50 and over.

About 70 percent of all polyps are adenomatous, making it the most common type of colon polyp. When this type of polyp is found, it is tested for cancer. Only a small percentage actually become cancerous, but nearly all malignant polyps began as adenomatous.

Fortunately, the process for these polyps to turn into colon cancer typically takes many years. With regular screening, they can be found and removed before that happens.

“I found myself preparing for the fact I might have a life-changing illness,” Dean added.

“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.”

The Mayo Clinic explains that screening tests play a key role in detecting polyps before they become cancerous, the most common for colon polyps is a colonoscopy.

This procedure should take around 30 to 45 minutes and involves a thin flexible tube with a camera attached being inserted into your bottom. The tube then moves through your large bowel and any polyps found will be removed or sample cells will be taken for testing.

If results from a colonoscopy find that you have cancer, you will likely be advised to see a cancer specialist. Cancer Research UK explains that bowel cancer is the term used to describe cancer that starts in the large bowel and the rectum. It is also known as colorectal cancer.

Although typically polyps do not cause many symptoms, the early warning signs of bowel cancer include:

• Bleeding from the back passage (rectum) or blood in your poo
• A change in your normal bowel habit, such as looser poo, pooing more often or constipation
• A lump that your doctor can feel in your back passage or tummy (abdomen), more commonly on the right side
• A feeling of needing to strain in your back passage (as if you need to poo), even after opening your bowels
• Losing weight
• Pain in your abdomen or back passage
• Tiredness and breathlessness caused by a lower than normal level of red blood cells (anaemia).

Sometimes bowel cancer can cause a bowel obstruction, causing slightly different symptoms including:

• Cramping pains in the abdomen
• Feeling bloated
• Constipation and being unable to pass wind
• Being sick.

Luckily for Dean,his polyp did not turn out to be malignant and biopsy results came back clear. Reflecting on getting his results he said: “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.

“I have been told that I need to have a check-up every five years. But the body is an amazing tool and it strives to repair itself as much as it can.”

For those not as lucky as Dean, the main treatments for bowel cancer include surgery and chemotherapy. For more advanced bowel cancer, radiotherapy and targeted cancer drugs may also be recommended.

Surgery involves removing the cancer, if it has not spread, and for some people this may be enough to cure the cancer completely. Chemotherapy is used to destroy cancer cells. Medical professionals may suggest the therapy in order to minimise the chances of the cancer returning after surgery.

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