James underwent surgical procedure at Southmead Hospital, Bristol, in March 2020 – simply because the pandemic arrived.

"I had my operation seven days earlier than the NHS shut down for Covid," James stated.

"That was a lucky break, I could have gone six months without seeing anybody."

James added: "Then we move forward to the back end of last year and I go and see the doctor again about discolouration on my glans.

"I used to be feeling actually down, actually low of vitality and I had this ache in my hip and groin space."

The 48-year-old had a second biopsy in January 2023 that revealed he had penile intraepithelial neoplasia (PeIN).

Undergoing a glansectomy in April 2023, James joked: "When I first checked out it I went, 'Oh, pricey.' It seemed like Frankenstein's [monster’s] face."

PeIN

The Canadian Cancer Society pointed out additional symptoms of the penile cancer to be aware of, such as:

• Abnormal growths
• Painful urination
• Discharge from the penis
• Inability to fully pull back the foreskin over the glans.

Risk factors for the disease include HPV infection, weakened immune system, and smoking.

James added: "Six weeks on it is healed. My recommendation to blokes is if you happen to discover one thing that you do not suppose is true, get it checked out.

"I was very lucky that the guy that I saw had seen this before [and knew what it was].

"If you are not proud of what you have been informed, get it checked out once more."