When model Danielle Lloyd tearfully revealed on Instagram that she had skin cancer, mum Tiffany Neidlands felt instant recognition. Running her finger over the surgery scar on her left arm, she swallowed hard, as Danielle warned her followers to “stay off sunbeds.”
Aged 41, like Danielle, who has five kids, she also has melanoma – the deadliest form of skin cancer. This was confirmed by letter last week, after the offending mole was removed just before Christmas. And she needs further precautionary surgery to remove more of her skin in case any stray cancer cells remain.
Flicking through holiday photos – many showing her sunburnt or with a deep tan, she tells The Mirror “I look at that happy smiling girl, tanned in her bikini, and want to shake her. I’d love to go back and warn her of the dangers that sun worshipping would later inflict on her body. But back then skin cancer wasn’t spoken about so much and when you’re young you never think it will happen to you.
“I’m speaking out now to raise awareness. I’m fully aware that it was self-inflicted, 86% of skin cancers are preventable. I can’t go backwards now but I can, hopefully, stop others from making the same mistakes.
“It’s why I’m so glad Danielle Lloyd has spoken out and warned people about the dangers – her story mirrors mine in many ways.” A divorcee and mum to Sophia, nine, and Sebastian, six, Tiffany, who works in adult social services, says her photos catalogue many of her happiest times in places like Greece and Mexico.
But, after her diagnosis – luckily, her cancer hasn’t spread – and seeing Danielle’s heartfelt Instagram post, she can’t believe she risked her life for a tan. And when Danielle Lloyd told her fans: “Please guys look after your skin, stay off sunbeds, wear factor 50 and just look after yourself, because you never know what’s going to happen,” she winced.
Recalling many holidays spent lying in the sun in skimpy bikinis, Tiffany says: “My first ‘sun bathing’ holiday was in Ibiza, aged 18, when I’d just finished my A’levels. I went with a group of friends, we didn’t have a care in the world. We’d spend our days lying by the pool reading or playing around on the beach.
“I didn’t even think of the dangers. I’m fair skinned so I burnt, but it soon turned brown. Back then we all loved tanning so much we’d stick out our arms to see who was the brownest at the end of the day.”
Tiffany continued going away three or four times a year, before she had her children – always to hot destinations, joking that she feels “solar-powered”. She even admits that she went on sunbeds a handful of times before her holiday, so she could get a pre-tan.
“I never went on for long, or that often, so I didn’t think it was dangerous. I was wrong,” she says. After turning 32, by then a mum, her sunshine holidays were reduced to once a year, when she would be forensically diligent about protecting her children’s skin from harmful UV rays.
She says: “I’d slather the children in factor 50 and put sun proof vests on them, then I’d lie there, wearing factor 20, sunbathing. I still can’t quite believe I did it. Especially as I’m so pale and have a lot of moles, which is a risk factor for cancer.”
Then, last summer, Tiffany when she noticed a mole on her forearm which she hadn’t clocked before. She kept an eye on it and, by the end of October, she was sure it had grown and changed shape so went to her GP.
She says, “I’d been for mole checks before, so I wasn’t really worried when he put me on the two week referral cancer pathway. I saw a photographer in November. But by December, when I went to the dermatologist, I was very worried. It had grown and developed a red edging around it.
“I went in and she looked at it and said she wanted to remove it there and then. She said she couldn’t tell definitively it was cancer, but it was suspicious. I’d gone on my own and, sitting in the waiting room, I felt sick with anxiety.”
The operation itself took a matter of minutes, but Tiffany had a funny turn as she felt so overwhelmed by the process and hates needles. She then faced an agonising eight week wait to find out exactly what her mole was.
She says: “I went down a Google rabbit hole. I was fairly sure if it was cancer it was melanoma, as that’s what it resembled most closely. And I knew that was the worst one. I spent a lot of time looking up symptoms for if it had spread. I hoped I’d caught it early enough and didn’t have any worrying symptoms but, even so, I’d often wake up at 3am with my mind whirling with ‘what ifs’.
“And, of course, paramount in my thoughts were my children. I couldn’t even contemplate the thought of not being around to see them grow up. I’d told Sophie I had a mole that needed to be removed, but I didn’t make a big deal of it, so she was never worried. And Sebastian was too young to tell.
“It was a very lonely time. Thankfully, none of my friends have been through cancer, and it’s hard to explain how it feels – it’s a unique anxiety. My partner of four years, Marc, who’s 48 and an engineer, was my rock. We don’t live together, but he made it clear that he’d support me in whatever way I need.
“All my friends and family have been incredible and they don’t judge me. But I’m aware that other people might – I’m full of self-recrimination. I also joined a Facebook group – Skin Cancer UK Support Group – which helped enormously, as everyone was in the same boat.”
And on February 10, Tiffany received a letter confirming it was cancer – melanoma in situ, meaning it’s a very early stage and confined to the top layer of skin. She says: “I feel incredibly lucky and so glad I caught it early and didn’t ignore it. I have learnt my lesson and will now be fully protected when it’s sunny. I can still enjoy the sun – but I’ll be doing it safely from now on.
“Like Danielle, I’ve got another operation next week. Her announcement really helped me. If a celebrity has it, it makes you feel it can happen to anyone. The more people that speak out the better. I hope people who read this article will think about me next time they contemplate skipping the factor 50.”
Skin cancer facts
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Around 15,400 people are diagnosed with melanoma in the UK each year.
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The incidence of malignant melanoma in Britain has risen faster than any other common cancer.
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Melanoma is the 5th most common cancer in the UK.
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Rates of malignant melanoma are increasing rapidly. Since 1997, there has been an increase of 155% for over 55s and 63% for under 55s
Warning signs you should see your GP
If you spot a new mole or a change to an existing mole.
Try using the ABCDE rule to identify any abnormality.
A – Asymmetry – the two halves don't match
B – Border – irregular, blurred or jagged
C – Colour – uneven with different colours
D – Diameter – the width of a pencil (6mm or more)
E – Evolution – changes over time
Another rule to bear in mind is the ‘Ugly Duckling Rule’ referring to if a mole stands out or looks different from your other moles.
It is important to see a skin specialist if you have a persistent non-healing spot, sore or growth.
