EMMERDALE star Liam Fox has revealed how he was fobbed off by the NHS for EIGHT years before finally being diagnosed with skin cancer.

Liam, 54, who played Dan Spencer in the ITV soap for 12 years before leaving in the summer of 2023, had an operation earlier this month to remove a patch of ‘carcinoma’.

In an exclusive interview, the much-loved actor said he wants to raise awareness not only about skin cancer, but also if you feel that something isn’t right then you have to be persistent with the NHS.

He said: “I’ve been lucky. If this had been a ‘melanoma’ rather than a ‘carcenoma’ it could kill you.

“None of us want to be that person that nags the NHS, we know they’re busy we know they’re overworked, but when you know in yourself that something’s not right, you’ve got keep pushing.”

Liam is currently on tour with the stage production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and finally had his operation earlier this month with doctors telling him they were happy with how it had gone.

But having first discovered the little patch of skin on his left temple back in 2017, it’s been a long journey to get it sorted.

He said: “I went to the doctors and they said ‘Oh no, it’s just flakey skin’ it’s fine, it’s nothing to worry about. A few weeks later I went back to them again because it was still there, I just wasn’t happy with what they’d told me, it just didn’t feel right.

“I went back again, and they said the same thing, it’s just flakey skin. I ended up going back to my doctor a third time and saw someone else who said it was ‘Solar Keratosis’ and gave me some Fluorouracil cream. I put that on for a few weeks and it seemed to have cleared it up. Then about a year or so later it came back.

“I went back to the doctors and they gave me the cream again which cleared it up. But they also got me into Warrington Hospital for some tests, to check it. They took a sample of the area and it came back negative, and I thought okay? They said they wanted to check it again in six months.

“Six months later I never heard anything from the hospital, and the patch was still there, so I rang them again, I said ‘I need this sorting out as it’s starting to bleed again’ and they said, ‘well you’ll just have to wait in the queue like everyone else, we’re not concerned’, I was like, okay, right.”

But another six months went by and the patch was still bleeding. Again, another six months passed. The patch was bleeding and Liam knew it wasn’t right, so again he called the hospital.

He said: “I told them that I really needed to sort it out as it was still bleeding, the woman on the desk said, ‘Oh yeah, you should have been seen by now’ . I got a meeting at the hospital a couple of days later. The doctor that I saw admitted that I should have been seen much sooner.

“I don’t know if there were some changes but when I rang the final time that’s when they apologised and said I should have been seen by now.

“It was January 2024 by this point. They finally told me that it was a ‘carcenoma’ we’ll have to get that out. They don’t grow very quickly but we’ll get it sorted.

“I saw the doctor again and they said it would be six months before they could get it sorted. I rang again at the beginning of February and said ‘am I going to get this sorted, it’s ridiculous’ and they sorted an appointment the following week.

“I went in and had it taken out, but it’s just been ridiculous having to push down barriers just to get it sorted.”

Despite having to be persistent, once they discovered that it was skin cancer the treatment and care he received was brilliant.

He said: “The surgeon on the day at St Helen’s Hospital was brilliant. I can’t praise them enough.

“Once I got to the hospital to have it done everyone was fantastic. But had it been a ‘melanoma’ the time it took to sort it out doesn’t bear thinking about.

“A carcinoma tends to just damage the surrounding area. It can invade and go into your bones and your skull and cause damage, but they seem quite happy that it’s all gone okay.

“I feel alright, and everything is healing nicely. I only went in for the day and had some local anaesthetic and they cut it out. They seem quite happy that it’s all gone okay. I’ve got to go back in six weeks for a routine check-up.

“It’s been frustrating but I am lucky. The one I’ve got is the most common skin cancer on the planet.  I’ve always been pretty good at putting on suncream but maybe the damage was done when I was younger, we don’t know.”

Liam finishes his stint as Grandpa Potts in the stage production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in May. By that point he would have done 320 shows up and down the country.

He said: “It’s been great. The saddest part was losing The Vivienne at Christmas, she was incredible as the childcatcher, and we’d all had such a great time touring together.

“It’s just so tragic. Everyone that we work with is outstanding, such lovely people. I was a bit nervous when I first started as I’ve never sang before but I’m like, ‘Oh actually I can do this’ and it’s been really great. There such a cracking group of people and it’s been such a great tour to do. By the time we finish we’d have done 320 shows.”

So what next? Liam said: “I’ve had a few conversations about some television projects and then hopefully I’ll do pantomime again at Christmas

“It’s nice not knowing what’s coming up this year, it’s exciting. Obviously I loved my time in Emmerdale but there’s something about not knowing what’s coming. I’m very much looking forward to seeing what’s next.”

Readers can still get tickets to see Liam in Chitty which also sees the return of EastEnders legend Charlie Brooks as the childcatcher.