Comedian Sean Lock privately battled terminal cancer before his tragic death this week at the age of 58.
The 8 out of 10 Cats star was previously diagnosed with malignant melanoma 31 years ago when he was in his late 20s.
He said he developed skin cancer due to his career working as a labourer before entering the world of comedy.
But if it weren't for a one-night stand he had as a young man, he might never have been diagnosed with cancer until it was far too late, The Mirror reports.
Aged 18, Sean took his A-levels but decided against heading off to university.
Following in his builder father's footsteps, he found a "dangerous" job stripping concrete panels off buildings, outdoors for sometimes 12 hours a day.
But the macho building-site mentality, especially back then, did not account for sun protection.
"You could hardly ask a big Irish foreman, 'Please could you rub some Ambre Solaire on my back?'" Sean told the Daily Mail.
"And we didn't wear hats, either. None of us took any notice of the fact that we were going red."
Sean did not even burn in the sun very often, though he worked with men who did and who would never admit to being in absolute agony.
In the 1980s, Sean burst on to the comedy scene, starring on open mic nights and eventually winning the British Comedy Award for Best Live Comic in 1990.
And with reasonable fame and money came perks in the form of ramped-up female attention.
But Sean could never have known how grateful he would end up being for one particular one-night stand.
In his late 20s, he had just emerged from a long-term relationship and was single, which is when he met Tina.
And he believed if he had never met her, he would have lost his life even younger.
"She said there was something weird on my back. I asked her what it looked like and she said it was a patch of skin which was black, misshapen, with a crusty texture and about the size of a 10p piece," he explained.
"I had no idea how long it had been there. It didn't hurt or itch, so there was nothing that would have drawn my attention to it."
Because it was in the small of Sean's back, it was not something he could see looking in a mirror, especially if he was not looking for it.
Tina had discovered a malignant melanoma, and it led Sean to seek the opinion of a dermatologist right away - a decision that bought him another 31 years until his sad death.
He explained he had the melanoma cut out straight away under local anaesthetic.
And he did not take the procedure particularly seriously, sleeping in and arriving late to his follow up appointment.
Being so young, Sean said, he felt "invincible", like nothing could ever harm him.
He did not even realise the words "malignant melanoma" meant cancer.
But in the following five years, Sean said he heard of an explosion in skin cancer cases, particularly in older people who had moved abroad to warmer climates.
And when a friend of his parents died from cancer, he realised how "lucky" he had been.
"I never saw Tina again, but if I happen to bump into her, the first thing I'll tell her is that she saved my life," he admitted.
Sean would go on to make skin protection a priority, ensuring his three children always wore suncream.
With the further 31 years Sean was blessed, he became one of the country's best comics.
He was a team captain on Jimmy Carr’s Channel 4 comedy panel show 8 Out Of 10 Cats and its spin-off 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown.
Between 2006 and 2007 he hosted Channel 4 series, TV Heaven, Telly Hell, in which he invited celebrities to share their own selection of TV’s triumphs and tragedies.
He also wrote and starred in the popular BBC sitcom 15 Storeys High.
On Wednesday afternoon, Sean's family announced the devastating news he had passed away aged 58.
A statement from his agent Off The Kerb Productions said: "It is with great sadness that we have to announce the death of Sean Lock.
"He died at home from cancer, surrounded by his family.
"Sean was one of Britain’s finest comedians, his boundless creativity, lightning wit and the absurdist brilliance of his work, marked him out as a unique voice in British comedy.
"Sean will be sorely missed by all that knew him.
"We kindly request that the privacy of his family and children is respected at this difficult time."
Tributes from his friends and peers flooded in, as Dara O’Briain tweeted: "This is desperately sad news. Such a brilliantly funny man."
Jon Richardson added: "I idolised Sean as a comic long before I became a comedian myself and ten years working alongside him didn’t diminish that in the least. An incredible comic brain and a truly unique voice."
Eddie Izzard penned: "So sorry to hear this. Farewell Sean, you brought a wonderful comedic talent to the world and you will be missed."
Symptoms of skin cancer
The NHS explains what to look out for in malignant melanomas.
"The most common sign of melanoma is the appearance of a new mole or a change in an existing mole," it says.
"This can happen anywhere on the body, but the most commonly affected areas are the back in men and the legs in women.
"Melanomas are uncommon in areas that are protected from sun exposure, such as the buttocks and the scalp.
"In most cases, melanomas have an irregular shape and are more than 1 colour.
"The mole may also be larger than normal and can sometimes be itchy or bleed.
"Look out for a mole that gradually changes shape, size or colour."
