Christopher Dean cancer scare left skating icon 'not knowing if he'd live or die'
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Christopher Dean is one half of the world-famous skating duo Torvill and Dean.
Two years ago, after finishing the final series of ITV’s Dancing on Ice with his skating partner Jayne Torvill , he suffered a cancer scare. Here, the dad of two, 58, who lives with ex-Dancing on Ice judge Karen Barber in Colorado Springs, US, talks about what his body has endured.
I had not long finished the final series of Dancing on Ice in 2014 when I started to get bad stomach pains. In fact, they were agonising.
Until that point, the only thing that had been wrong with me was injuries I had incurred from skating.
Luckily, I was due to have a routine medical check-up and it involved a colonoscopy. When the results came back, they showed I had a 2cm growth, what is known as a polyp, on my colon.
I had never heard about polyps but my doctor explained they are growths on the inside lining of the colon and he said a biopsy was needed to ­establish if it was cancerous or not.
(Photo: Getty)
I was told about the various types of polyps – hyperplastic and inflammatory polyps do not carry a risk of developing into cancer, but my doctor was convinced I had a adenoma or adenomatous polyp. Considered pre-cancerous, if left alone they can turn into colon cancer .
I found myself preparing for the fact I might have a life-changing illness.
For two weeks, I thought I might need a serious operation that would have involved taking away a good chunk of my stomach.
It was the longest two weeks of my life not knowing if I was going to live or die – it was a scary prospect being faced with my own mortality.
Luckily, in the end the biopsy results came back and the polyp was benign and I didn’t need to have them removed. I can’t tell you the relief I felt and it really did help me put things into perspective about the previous skating injuries I had incurred.
Karen was an amazing support, too, and she was calm and reassuring.
I have been told that I need to have a check-up every five years. But the body is an amazing tool and it strives to repair itself as much as it can.
I am surprised I am still skating after all my injuries – and at my age as well.
(Photo: Getty)
I have had a rotator cuff injury, a bicep tendon tear, an AC joint injury and a bulging disc. They have all in some fashion been repaired but as you get older you have to put more work into staying fit and healthy, and your body is your tool.
My most recent injury was an AC joint injury [the joint formed between the collarbone and the tip of the shoulder blade] about two months ago when I had a really bad fall on the ice.
I had to have cortisone injections in my shoulder to settle it down.
I like to think I am still physically fit because of skating – it’s dominated my life since I was nine or 10 years old.
I’ve been involved in choreography for my new show, Holiday on Ice’s Believe, and I was on the ice five days a week for up to five hours every day.
When I am back home in Colorado Springs, I love to get on my bike. Running is too high impact a sport for me and it plays havoc with my joints so I prefer to get out on two wheels.
I also try do circuits at the gym every other day and work with my personal trainer, Luke, for one hour, three times a week. He puts me through HIT training and I use kettle bells and battle ropes for ­conditioning exercises. I have been doing that for the last five or six years and it has definitely given me more energy and more strength.
It’s hard to believe I am going to turn 60 in just over a year’s time.
I still think I am 20 in my head but it’s the symptoms of an injury that bring me up with a jolt. You find you don’t bounce back as quickly.
One thing I do watch a bit more is what I eat. I consume less carbs. I think as you get older, it is harder to burn them off. I prefer a more protein-based diet, with chicken and salad.
(Photo: Getty)
My aim in 2017 is to try and keep as physically fit as I can and, who knows, it could also be the year that ITV brings back Dancing on Ice.
It’s great that I still get to work with Jayne and we are currently starring in panto as Cinderella’s fairy godparents at the Bristol Hippodrome. Part of it involves going around the stage on rollerblades, which is great fun.
We have not had any tumbles yet although I do have to be careful of my lower back. I’ve got a bulging disc but it’s not hurting me right now, luckily.
It is gruelling doing 12 performances a week but we are still physically fit and can keep up the pace.
I can’t wait to go scuba diving in the Caribbean afterwards with my two sons, Jack and Sam [by his ex-wife, Jill Trenary]. It’s very tranquil under the sea and I like the escapism of it. It’s good for the mind and the soul.
POLYPS: The facts
Jonathan Wilson, Consultant Colorectal & General Surgeon at The Wellington Hospital (part of HCA Healthcare UK) says:
“The vast majority of polyps will never turn into cancer, but when they do, it can take 10-15 years of slow growth and genetic change, and this is a silent process with minimal or no symptoms in most patients.
“Christopher’s polyp was only discovered after having a colonoscopy but it is a perfect screening opportunity for identifying these silent polyps and removing them, thereby removing the cancer risk.
“Most polyps, once identified during an endoscopy, are removed there and then. They’re sent to the pathologist to determine whether they contain any cancerous tissue. The vast majority are still benign.
“If all cancer is removed within the polyp, surgery may not be necessary. If it is, even with keyhole surgery to remove the affected section of colon, this is still major surgery with a potential mortality rate of 3%.”