For Bethany England, cancer is an issue that’s close to her heart. During her life, she has seen a number of family members affected by the disease, including her aunt who was just 42 years old when she passed away after being diagnosed with leukaemia.
Heartbreakingly, Bethany has also lost her grandad to skin cancer and her great-grandmother to throat cancer, which is why she’s using her platform to spread awareness.
“Cancer, different variations of cancer, have been a prominent factor within my family,” she tells OK!. “It’s quite sad to talk about because I’ve had a lot of family members die from different forms of cancer, but I'm aware that I'm in a privileged position where I have a platform and I’d love to use that platform to help as much as possible.”
So, with May marking Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and having lost her grandad to the disease, the 29 year old is on a mission to raise awareness of the importance of using sunscreen.
“Skin cancer was one of the reasons why my granddad died. He had melanoma and it stemmed from a mole, which then ultimately affected his kidney function. It was during Covid and he sadly passed away,” she explains.
“I'm a factor 50 girl all the way. I’m definitely not someone that likes to take risks when it comes to the sun. It's just better to be fully protected and safe where we can be.”
Given her family history when it comes to cancer, Tottenham Hotspur player Bethany explains that she knows all too well the importance of knowing what’s ‘normal’. Whether it’s checking her skin for any changes or looking for any new lumps, Bethany is aware of how crucial it is to take action.
“Unfortunately my nan went through breast cancer. Because of my family’s experience, I’ve always been taught to regularly check my lumps and bumps and any moles. Some people would probably see something and not think much of it or hope it’d go away if it’s a taboo subject, but I’m not like that,” she says.
With O2 finding that nearly one in five Brits would visit a warm climate without packing sun protection, Bethany stresses the importance of using suncream - whether you’re abroad or not. “Why would you risk further damaging yourself when there's easy fixes or even preventative measures that can help?,” she asks.
And as her career goes from strength to strength on the pitch, the thought of staying sun safe is never too far away from her mind when she’s training or playing a match with the Lionesses.
“I literally live in T-shirts and shorts most of the time. Ever since I was young I’ve been a factor 50 girl. I’m one that will tend to put it on before I go outside and I’ll be in the changing room throwing it on before I go out,” Bethany explains.
“We travel a lot to different countries and hot places, and with football we sweat a lot. At half time or during injury breaks I’ll try and put some back on and reapply where I can because if you're sweating it off, then naturally you just need to reapply it.”
Having used her platform to raise awareness of cancer, as well as speaking about issues including endometriosis and LGBTQ+ visibility, it’s clear that Bethany is already fulfilling her desire to use her status for good as she continues to champion different causes.
“I'm just very proud of my own skin and of who I am. Taboo subjects can sometimes ultimately cause people their lives. I think you should want to live a happy and healthy life and there's always help out there if you need it,” she says.
“Even if it's just one person, I've at least helped someone. I'm very much open to having those difficult conversations.”
Bethany is raising sun protection awareness in partnership with O2 which has teamed up with The British Skin Foundation and Green People to create a limited-edition smartphone accessory complete with a built-in sunscreen tube, to help people protect themselves throughout the day.
