GRANGE Hill legend Lee MacDonald has revealed he has skin cancer.
The child TV star, who is best known for playing Zammo McGuire, was diagnosed after discovering an “unusual” spot on his face.
6
Lee MacDonald has revealed he has skin cancerCredit: Rex Features
6
Lee played heroin addict Zammo McGuireCredit: BBC
6
The actor spent six years on the programme in the 80sCredit: BBC
Lee, 56, announced the health news on X, telling fans: “Went to the doctors today to check an unusual spot on my face! Doctor says it’s cancer!
“As we older please keep an eye on anything unusual and hopefully get it looked at early!!! Booked in to get it sorted over the next couple of day.”
The former actor now runs a key-cutting shop in London.
But he shot to fame in the 80s in BBC school drama Grange Hill as heroin addict Zammo.
His six years in the popular programme took their toll on him as he became the face of anti-drugs campaign Just Say No which led to a meeting with First lady Nancy Reagan in the US after his drug-addled character was seen slumped in a toilet.
“Things build up,” he previously said. “I’m not saying fame is a bad thing, because it can be a good thing, but sometimes it can be a bad thing – you can meet the wrong people.
“Being recognised everywhere you go, was starting to get to me a bit at that age.”
While he had mixed feelings towards celebrity, he struggled with returning to normality after leaving the show.
His plans to become a professional boxer were left in tatters when he was seriously injured in car accident aged 21 that saw him thrown 47ft through a windscreen.
After being told he’d never fight again, he remembers watching former co-star John Alford land a part in firefighter drama London’s Burning while he was still working in a warehouse and feeling deflated.
Grange Hill – Zammo McGuire played by Lee MacDonald caught with heroin by police
Lee was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when he was 43, after years struggling with his mental health in silence.
He said on This Morning in 2020: “On the Isle of Wight I just started crying for no reason.
“I’m not a person that cries a lot, but I just found myself breaking down doing scenes and I would just walk away and hide behind a rock. It sounds mad, but just to get composed.”
6
Lee struggled mentally during his time on the showCredit: Flynet Pictures
6
In 2019, Lee landed a cameo role in EastEndersCredit: Lee Macdonald / Twitter
6
Lee and wife Jess got married in 2022Credit: Lee Macdonald / Twitter
The business owner got engaged to his partner Jess that same year and they wed in 2022 in an intimate ceremony amid the backdrop of the covid pandemic.
Lee’s son Harry, 16, was his best man, and he praised him in a post that read: “I’m so proud of my boy “H”! He did an amazing job as my best man [heart emojis] x”
The actor made a screen return in 2019, bagging a cameo role in EastEnders as bus driver Terry, who went head to head with Danny Dyer to win a pair of concert tickets.
Cancer types, signs and symptoms
Everything you need to know about different types of Cancer
Bowel cancer symptoms: What are they and when should I start to worry?
What is prostate cancer? Signs and symptoms of the condition
What are skin cancer symptoms and what does the disease look like?
How to check your breasts for signs of cancer
Stomach cancer: Symptoms, causes, and treatments
What is a brain tumour and what are the symptoms?
What does a cancerous mole look like?
What are esophageal cancer symptoms?
Is skin cancer itchy?
How to tell the difference between haemorrhoids and cancer
Are sunbeds safe and can they cause cancer?
What is glioblastoma and what are the symptoms?
News
Sinitta SH0CKS Loose Women panel with X-R@T3D comment about new BOYFRIEND
Sinitta stunned the Loose Women panel today when she opened up about her new relationship. The Toy Boy star, 60, who used to date media mogul Simon Cowell, has been single for 10 years, but is now delighted with her new man, who…
FATHER CAUSES FURY Tommy Fury’s dad John made CRUEL comment about Molly-Mae and DEFENDED his son during the couple’s SH0CK SPLIT
TOMMY Fury’s dad John once made a cruel comment about Molly-Mae “not being a wife” – appearing to predict the couple would split YEARS before they broke up. The influencer, 25, ended her five-year relationship after being sent an upsetting video of…
MAE DAY Molly-Mae accused of ‘FAKING HOLIDAY’ with Tommy Fury before SPLIT as fans spot TWO HUGE CLUES
MOLLY-MAE’s fans shared a wild theory she faked a holiday with Tommy Fury before their split. The former Love Island stars, both 25, split last week after five years together. Your info will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy…
MOVING ON Molly-Mae Hague’s ‘ULTIMATE REVENGE’ on Tommy Fury with new MONEY-SPINNING move in America
Determined Molly Mae Hague is poised to deliver the ultimate knockout blow to dumped Tommy Fury by conquering America. Boxer Tommy, 25, was embarrassingly denied entry to the States last year for a fight after American authorities refused an entry visa after background…
Katie Price’s children ‘ANGRY’ as mum becomes a ‘LAUGHING STOCK’ over new surgery
Katie Price’s children have urged her to stop after she underwent her latest £10,000 facelift. The former glamour model is no stranger to plastic surgery but it’s reported her children want to put a stop to her mum’s desire to…
EXCLUSIVE: Molly-Mae HUMILIATED Tommy Fury, then played the VICTIM, Trust me, there’s more to this SPLIT than meets the eye…
After Molly-Mae Hague’s shock Instagram announcement that her five-year relationship with Tommy Fury was over amid rumours of his infidelity, her eight million fans were so distraught that some said they were ‘actually sobbing’ over the death of the fairytale….
End of content
No more pages to load
