‘It does scare me’: Michael Clarke opens up on secret cancer battle

Former Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke has revealed he had to have 27 stitches to address a worrying health scare.

Former Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke has revealed he went under the knife to remove a skin cancer.

Opening up on the worrying health scare, Clarke told the Daily Telegraph he recently required 27 stitches to have a basal cell carcinoma removed from his chest.

“It does scare me,” Clarke said.

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“I am a dad – I don’t want to go anywhere. The most important thing in the world is making sure I help my seven-year-old daughter (Kelsey Lee) and I guess set a good example for her.

“To me, making sure I am putting sunscreen on so she can see it is not just me getting her to do it, it is dad doing it as well.”

The 42-year-old has been diligent about wearing sunscreen and going to the dermatologist but has had to have a skin cancer removed or frozen off several times.

Clarke shared a photo to Instagram in April of himself in hospital wearing a cap and gown.

“Skin cancer Friday. Go get checked please,” he wrote.

Clarke playing in Sri Lanka in 2004. Photo: Phil Hillyard.

Michael Clarke has had his fair share of skin scares.

“I am not surprised that a lot of cricketers have had skin cancers because you spend a lot of time in the sun,” said Clarke, who is an ambassador for the Australian Skin Cancer Foundation.

“Imagine fielding all day in India, out there for eight hours in the sun, a lot of the guys are wearing the baggy green cap so you are not protecting your ears or your face, you’ve got short sleeved shirts so your arms and the tops of your hands.

“I have been in the sun my entire career.

“I’ve always been disciplined with putting sunscreen on, my parents were too. The part I guess I haven’t been disciplined with was reapplying. All through my career I put sunscreen on but you sweat it off.”

Michael Clarke is encouraging Aussies to be careful in the sun. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Clarke’s grandfather died of bowel cancer. His father fought hodgkin's lymphoma and prostate cancer and underwent heart surgery earlier this year.

Clarke is urging Aussies to be careful in the sun this summer.

“The awareness is a lot better now but because I’ve had so many cut out, I’m aware of the dangers,” he said.

‘Prevention is better than cure, we need people aware before they have to have them cut out.”