Ryan Reynolds undergoes ‘potentially life-saving’ surgery

The actor shared a candid video with his followers, explaining that he wanted to de-stigmatise the procedure he’d just undergone.

Ryan Reynolds discovered he had a “subtle polyp” on his colon during his first colonoscopy, which he was broadcasting in order to destigmatise the procedure.

The Deadpool actor, 45, and his Wrexham soccer club co-chairman, Rob McElhenney, decided to partner up with Lead From Behind, a colon cancer awareness organisation, to encourage people — especially men — to get the procedure when the time comes.

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Ryan Reynolds in his hospital bed.

In a YouTube video uploaded to Reynold’s page this week, the two explained they wanted to prove how the “simple step” can “save lives.”

“I would never normally have any medical procedure put on camera and then shared,” Reynolds said.

“But it’s not every day that you can raise awareness about something that will most definitely save lives. That’s enough motivation for me to let you in on a camera being shoved up my ass.”

Ryan chats with his doctor.

During the procedure, Reynolds found out that he found an “extremely subtle polyp” on the right side of his colon, which was promptly removed.

“This was potentially lifesaving for you — I’m not kidding, I’m not being overly dramatic,” the doctor told the actor as he showed off images of the tissue. “This is exactly why you do this. You had no symptoms.”

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney break down stigma.

As for McElhenney, his doctor revealed they found three polyps that “were not a big deal, but certainly a good thing that we found them early and removed them.”

The excited Always Sunny in Philadelphia star, also 45, joked that he “won” the competition given the fact he had two more polyps than Reynolds. “Colon cancer is preventable,” a message read across a black screen at the end of the video. “If you’re 45 years or older, ask your doctor about getting a colonoscopy. And help Rob and Ryan kick cancer’s ass.”

This story originally appeared on Page Six and is republished here with permission.

Originally published as Ryan Reynolds undergoes ‘potentially life-saving’ surgery