Countdown star Carol Vorderman has opened up about a recent “frightening” cancer scare as she teams up with Boots and Macmillan Cancer Support to highlight the importance of checking your body.

It comes as the 62-year-old’s mother Edwina Jean Davies passed away in 2017 after receiving a terminal diagnosis of melanoma.

The 88-year-old had previously battled kidney cancer and had an ovarian tumour removed.

Carol Vorderman opens up about a recent 'frightening' skin cancer scare

In a video, the I’m A Celeb contestant explained: “I’m here in a Boots store today because I really want to talk about safety in the sun.

“When I got to my late 40s, I could see that there were little bits on my skin which were irregular, so I went to a dermatologist, took a little biopsy and sent it off.

“A couple of them were pre-cancerous. You hear that word and it’s very frightening.”

She added: “With what I’ve gone through at protecting my skin and my mum with the melanoma and then dying, it’s really important to me and my family actually.”

Carol said she doesn’t want people to feel sorry for her as she had no symptoms and had the cells removed.

She went on to say: “I'm of the generation where we started to sunbathe.

"My mother's generation didn't. We were also caught in the formative years, the 60s, 70s, 80s, where we had absolutely no idea of what sun protection was - you just couldn't buy it. I think it was the 90s that began."

Now the TV presenter is wanting to raise awareness of skin cancer and is urging people to follow important advice.

"Always wear a hat, always slather yourself in SPF 50, check yourself and if there's anything that you find get it checked as soon as possible," she advised.

What is melanoma?

According to the NHS website, melanoma is a type of skin cancer that can spread to other areas of the body.

The main cause of this particular type of skin cancer is ultraviolet light, which comes from the sun and is used in sunbeds.

The NHS also says a number of things can increase your chances of getting melanoma, including your age and having pale skin, a large number of moles and a family history of skin cancer.

If you have any health concerns, speak to your GP or you can visit the NHS website and Macmillan Cancer Support for more information and advice.