As a newly-appointed ambassador of Melanoma UK, Natasha wants to raise awareness of skin cancer following a surge in cases of the condition during the last two years, with more than 8,000 melanomas going undiagnosed.

Her rallying calls comes after she spotted a form of skin cancer on her mum’s face and urged her to seek medical advice and push for a diagnosis.

Natasha, 39, was giving her mum a facial when she noticed a mark on her forehead that she hadn’t seen before. When she asked her mum about it, she said it regularly disappeared and then came back again but had assumed it was just dry skin. Over time, Natasha noticed that it would sometimes be bigger, a bit scaly and looked really sore so urged her to go to the doctor and get a medical opinion. 

Her mum was told it was nothing to worry about but fast forward a year later and it was still there and getting bigger and more prominent. Her mum went back to the doctor and this time got a referral to a dermatologist who then diagnosed it as a Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC), a form of non-melanoma skin cancer.

Luckily, her mum’s experience was not melanoma but the experience was a major wake-up call for the whole family, forcing them to check their skin for markings and moles, and making sure anything new or out of the ordinary was checked out as soon as possible.

Natasha is getting right behind The National Mole Hunt, encouraging people to get to know their own skin, learn what’s normal for them and, importantly, spot any changes in colour, shape or size of moles or other markings.

As a teenager, Natasha used to hit the sunbeds desperate for a tan and to look ‘healthy and glowing’. As she got older and educated herself she is now a regular user of SPF50 and makes sure her children know how to enjoy the sunshine safely.

Natasha is super passionate about encouraging everyone to get involved in the National Mole Hunt and get a second – and third – opinion if needed. It’s vital that we get into the habit of checking our skin and taking the necessary steps to get medical advice when needed, not just during the summer months, but all year round.

Our ultimate goal at Melanoma UK is to get people on their own ‘mole hunt’, encouraging them to check their skin and look out for any changes to markings on their body, so we’re thrilled to welcome Natasha aboard as a new Ambassador.