A man who beat bowel cancer is helping to launch a campaign to get more men talking about the disease.

Paul Simms from Enfield, was diagnosed with bowel cancer at 24 - but has been cancer free for ten years.

The 35-year-old, a branch manager at Travis Perkins, in Rickmansworth, is backing a campaign launched by Macmillan Cancer Support urging more men to reach out.

The father-of-one said: “If you’re worried about how to broach the subject with your doctor, the Macmillan Cancer Support Line is a great way to get confidential support and advice about how to discuss your symptoms as well as emotional support.

“Men in particular feel that there is a stigma about going to the doctors.

“It’s a bit of an ego thing, ‘I don’t need to go to the doctor, I can look after myself’ but I’d encourage them to get past that.

“If I hadn’t have been so adamant there was something wrong with me and really pushed, then who knows what the outcome would have been.”

Last year, nationally an average of 175 women called Macmillan’s support line per day compared to 76 men.

2,300 men from London called the charity last year but it is still less than half the number of women who reach out, at around 5,300.

The charity hopes to encourage even more men from London with cancer to ask for help, as part of its Just Say the Word campaign.