Coronation Street Star Sue Nicholls Diagnosed with Cancer After Viewer Spots Concerning Signs

Audrey’s tumultuous life on Coronation Street has had viewers on the edge of their seats for years, but it was an incident off-screen that caused a stir.

Specialist skincare nurse Anna Bianconi-Moore was watching the soap one night when she spotted a suspicious mole on actress Sue Nicholls’ shoulder.

Instinctively recognising symptoms of malignant melanoma, Moore reached out to the Coronation Street team, urging the actress to seek professional medical advice.

The mole that appeared on Nicholls’ shoulder, visible as she sported a nightgown in a scene, exhibited an uneven shape and multiple colours, telltale signs that didn’t go unnoticed by the attentive viewer.

Later Moore shared with the media: “I noticed it was irregular in shape and had at least three different colours.”

Moore, deeply concerned about the health of the beloved soap star, felt compelled to take action, stating: “These are two of the red-flag signals that distinguish the most deadly form of skin cancer malignant melanoma. I was obviously incredibly worried for Sue, and felt I needed to do something.”

With urgency, she communicated her concerns in written correspondence, cautioning: “I wrote that I had observed a sinister-looking lesion and suggested that Sue should see a specialist, sooner rather than later, as it may require urgent attention.”

During the day, Moore is employed as a dermatology clinic nurse at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, which undoubtedly sharpened her diagnostic instincts ultimately leading to the testing of Nicholls’ mole.

ITV issued a statement highlighting the remarkable observation skills of the nurse who spotted a melanoma on actress Nicholls while watching a scene at home. The statement said: “Whilst millions watched the same scene in their living rooms at home, specialist skin care nurse Anna was able to diagnose the blemish as malignant melanoma after pausing the TV and taking a closer look.

“The 55 year old who’s from Suffolk then got in touch with the show to warn Sue to get the mole checked. Almost a year later, Sue had the mole removed and the diagnosis of malignant melanoma was confirmed. The actress then appealed for the viewer to get back in touch.

“The two finally met on the Coronation Street set at the end of May so Sue could thank her in person – for potentially saving her life.”

According to The Skin Cancer Foundation, melanoma is a “dangerous” and “serious” form of skin cancer that starts in cells known as melanocytes and can quickly spread to other organs if not treated early. Only 20 to 30 per cent of melanomas are found in existing moles, such as Nicholls’, with 70 to 80 per cent developing on what appears to be normal skin.

Melanomas can manifest in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours. Regardless of the melanoma’s appearance, early detection is crucial for treatment to commence. Once melanoma has penetrated deeper into the skin or spread to other body parts, it becomes harder to treat and can be fatal.

The Skin Cancer Foundation utilises both the ABCDEs of melanoma and the Ugly Duckling method to educate individuals on how to identify melanoma.

The first is a guide to help individuals recognise the warning signs of melanoma. It goes as follows:

• A is for Asymmetry. Most melanomas are asymmetrical. If you draw a line through the middle of the lesion, the two halves don’t match, so it looks different from a round to oval and symmetrical common mole.
• B is for Border. Melanoma borders tend to be uneven and may have scalloped or notched edges, while common moles tend to have smoother, more even borders.
• C is for Colour. Multiple colours are a warning sign. While benign moles are usually a single shade of brown, a melanoma may have different shades of brown, tan or black. As it grows, the colours red, white or blue may also appear.
• D is for Diameter or Dark. While it’s ideal to detect a melanoma when it is small, it’s a warning sign if a lesion is the size of a pencil eraser (about six millimetres or larger). Some experts say it is also important to look for any lesion, no matter what size, that is darker than others. Rare, amelanotic melanomas are colourless.
• E is for Evolving. Any change in size, shape, colour or elevation of a spot on your skin, or any new symptom in it, such as bleeding, itching or crusting, may be a warning sign of melanoma.

The second is another recognition strategy based on the idea that most normal moles resemble each other, with one standing out like an ugly duckling.

This emphasises the importance of not only checking for irregularities but also comparing any suspicious spot to surrounding moles to see if it looks different. These ugly duckling lesions or outlier lesions can be larger, smaller, lighter or darker than surrounding moles.

Isolated lesions without any surrounding moles for comparison are also considered ugly ducklings.

To diagnose melanoma, a dermatologist takes a biopsy of the suspicious tissue and sends it to a lab. A dermatologist then determines whether cancer cells are present from there.

Once diagnosed, treatment options will depend on the stage of the disease, location of the tumour and overall health of the individual. Treatment methods currently used include surgical removal, immunotherapy, targeted therapy and chemotherapy.

Due to developments in research, treatment options are improving quality of life and increasing survival rates of patients diagnosed with advanced melanoma.