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WWE superstar and A-list actor John Cena revealed his secret past battle with skin cancer in partnership with Neutrogena.
Cena, 47, said he "never" wore sunscreen despite exposure to the sun growing up in New England and later moving to Florida, having "neglected" his skin despite warnings from his mother.
“I was stubborn. I didn't want to have a routine and I also thought the problem would never reach me. And it's one of those things where I had a ton of exposure with minimal protection and it caught up with me,” Cena told PEOPLE.
“It wasn't until I went to a dermatologist and got a skin checkup and had a cancerous spot removed from my right pec,” he added.
Cena said he had the spot removed, but was told, "you got to come back in," by his dermatologist.
“I was very lucky to have a great dermatologist who kind of, I guess for lack of a better term, held me by the hand and let me know that I wasn't alone,” Cena said via PEOPLE. “The stats on this are overwhelming, but as much as I learn about them, those numbers don't mean anything. I think the best way to hammer home a point is human-to-human connection. And I as a human can tell you: Man, that phone call's not what you want to get because it is unpredictable and you don't know how bad it's going to be.”
"A year later I went back and had another spot removed close to my right shoulder. It shows up like a white polka dot on the side of my chest and on my shoulder. If you watch WWE, you'll be able to see them," he added.
Cena, who announced his plan to retire from wrestling after 2025, is widely regarded as one of the biggest stars in professional wrestling history, served as WWE's franchise player for more than a decade, having played the role of a babyface since 2003 prior to turning heel in the setup to his WrestleMania 41 match against Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. The 47-year-old has emerged as a major Hollywood star over the past decade, appearing in The Suicide Squad, Ricky Stanicky, Trainwreck and The Fast and the Furious series.