Within hours I was in surgery

DEAN Gaffney has revealed he feels lucky to be alive after medical checks for I'm A Celebrity flagged up warning signs for bowel cancer and he was rushed in for emergency surgery.

- LAURA ARMSTRONG

The former EastEnders star, whose eating trial with Joe Swash had hosts Ant and Dec in tears of laughter, was eliminated from the all-stars contest in South Africa on Wednesday ahead of Friday's final.

But he counts himself fortunate to be here at all after what doctors discovered in tests in 2020, while examining him ahead of a possible appearance in ITV's Covid-safe series of the show at Gwrych Castle in North Wales.

In an exclusive interview, Dean said: "There is no doubt I'm A Celeb and its medical team saved my life. I might not be here today if it wasn't for them finding what they did."

The 45-year-old was shocked when doctors found a number of polyps in his large intestine and said he needed an immediate op.

He said: "Within hours I was in a hospital gown and under general anaesthetic and they took it out."

When he came round, the doctor told him: "Had you not come to us today, in three years that could have turned to bowel cancer. You've been very lucky."

Dean said: "I still remember his exact words. I feel so, so lucky. It's made me so careful about checking my stools."

He is now urging anyone worried about signs of cancer to get checked. And he hopes he can raise awareness of the disease like Bowelbabe fundraiser Dame Deborah James, who died aged 40 in June last year.

Dean said: "Dame Deborah was an inspiration to so many. I've so much respect for her fight and the awareness she raised for bowel cancer.

"If I can do a small fraction of that for men, it'd make me very happy." Dean played Robbie Jackson in EastEnders in various stints from 1993 to 2019, often with pet dog Wellard at his side.

He and former Coronation Street star Helen Flanagan were evicted from I'm A Celeb together. But it was the show's eventual winner Myleene Klass, 45, who Dean secretly confided in about his cancer scare.