John Cena reveals past skin cancer diagnosis: ‘That phone call’s not one you want to get’

John Cena is opening up about a past skin cancer diagnosis in an effort to bring attention to the importance of wearing sunscreen.

The actor and WWE star told People he grew up in Massachusetts in the 1970s and ’80s and “never” wore sunscreen.” Though Cena later moved to Florida, where he “fell in love with the sun,” he still “neglected” to protect his skin.

“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,” said Cena, who turns 48 on April 23.

A routine check-up in a dermatologist’s office forced Cena to re-think his lax attitude about sunscreen.

“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 told People.

The 16-time WWE world champion, who is now the face of new Neutrogena campaign for Ultra Sheer Mineral Face Liquid Sunscreen SPF 70, said he was “very lucky” to have a good dermatologist who helped him process his fear around the diagnosis.

“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,” said Cena.

Though the that first cancerous spot on Cena’s chest was removed, there would be another in his future.

“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,” he said, adding, “If you watch WWE, you’ll be able to see them.”

Being diagnosed with skin cancer came as a shock to Cena, who said his “mind always goes to the worst-case scenario.”

But the diagnoses also showed him how important it was to protect his skin from the sun’s rays. Cena said his attitude about sunscreen quickly went from “neglect” to “mass protect.”

Now, Cena proudly practices self-care every day, which includes applying daily sunscreen that boasts a high SPF number.

“I’m at a great space in my life where that’s now important to me. And I’m so grateful to be able to dodge those two bullets, but I wear them as a reminder of, ‘Hey man, you need to take the extra few seconds to protect yourself every day,’” he said.

Applying sunscreen before going outside should become a regular daily habit, like brushing your teeth, he added.

“If you’re out there and you brush your teeth, at a young age you learned that going to the dentist when your teeth are in bad shape is bad because it’s painful. The same thing will happen if you don’t take care of your skin, and it’s actually easier than brushing your teeth.

“Because it’s not something you should exercise to just make you look more beautiful,” he said. “It’s something you should exercise to allow you to be who you are for a longer period of time.”