Former Emmerdale star Liam Fox has revealed his eight-year battle to get skin cancer treatment.

The actor, who is best known for his role as Dan Spencer in the ITV soap between 2011 and 2023, recently had an operation to remove a basal cell carcinoma on his forehead after first going to the doctors about it in 2017.

Liam said he was originally told it was ‘just flakey skin’ and was ‘nothing to worry about’ but he persisted and went back to the doctors for a third time.

They then told him he had a condition called solar keratosis and prescribed him some cream, which initially cleared things up – but it came back a year later.

‘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,’ he said.

‘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.”

Speaking to The Sun, Liam said a year went by, and it started bleeding again, forcing him to go back to the hospital.

He explained: ‘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.’

Liam was finally told he had a carcinoma – a non-melanoma skin cancer – in January 2024, but was told it would be six months before they could get it sorted, but he persisted in changing treatment.

‘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.’

Liam praised the surgeon and staff who treated him last month and said ‘everything is healing nicely’ now.

However, he warned others: ‘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.’