A SHAW woman credited with saving the life of Piers Morgan has appeared on television alongside the TV presenter and journalist to urge the public to undergo regular health checks.
Gillian Nuttall, founder and CEO of Melanoma UK, has been catapulted into the national spotlight after former Daily Mirror editor Morgan revealed how she had alerted him to a potentially cancerous mole on his chest.
Since then Gillian was invited on to Good Morning Britain fronted by Morgan and Susanna Reid to promote melanoma awareness and explain how her eagle-eyed alertness came to his rescue.
“You were watching my Serial Killers programme and you spotted my blemish,” explained the 52-year-old host. “What was it that made you think there might be a problem?”
“I am not medically qualified but I have 10 years of experience with melanoma,” explained Gillian whose organisation is based on High Street in Shaw.
“I stopped the television, much to the roll of the eyes of my husband, like ‘here we go again’, but I just said to him ‘can you not see that?’
“I had your email so I thought what harm can be caused? We don’t treat our skin with the respect it deserves.
“Our skin is our biggest organ. We are covered in it from head to toe. Do we ever check it?
“You wouldn’t take that risk with testicular cancer, breast cancer, kidney cancer. Yet with our skin we are happy to.”
Gillian appeared on the programme on January 9, 2018 with Jo Morgan, who is an Ocular Melanoma patient.
Between them, they delivered a compelling message in the importance of carrying out regular skin checks and undergoing proper eye examinations.
Morgan, no relation, also urged people to get checked out.
“Get your moles checked, it only takes 10 minutes,” he said “It is so easy, it is just maintainence.
“You are playing with lives if you don’t get this stuff checked.
“Gillian Nuttall, you were my saviour without intending to be.
“You were watching my Serial Killer programme and you spotted my blemish.
“I am living testimony to that and I am very grateful to you.”
Gillian turned life-saver last November while watching a programme on serial killers.
The month before, Morgan had been involved in the launch of the UK’s first melanoma patient digital registry, taking to Twitter and social media to encourage all patients to sign up to the registry.
Then a few days before Christmas, Gill received an email from him, letting her know that he had been to see a dermatologist who had arranged to have the mole removed immediately.