Melanoma survivor Andy Cohen, 51, beloved host of Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live,” shared some unfortunate news four days ago: “After a few days of self-quarantine, and not feeling great, I have tested positive for Coronavirus. As much as I felt like I could push through whatever I was feeling to do [the show] from home, we're putting a pin in that for now so I can focus on getting better,” he wrote on Instagram.
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Read More“The Very Worst Part”
The toughest part of the illness, says Cohen, has been missing his baby son, Benjamin Allen Cohen, who was born by surrogate in Feb 2019. During Cohen’s illness, he’s been in the care of a nanny, while Cohen remains quarantined in his room. "I'll tell you what I know from the nanny cam and from videos because I can't see him, which is the very worst part of this entire thing," Cohen told Lewis. “But he’s great, and his nanny is negative.”As for the virus? “I feel like it's definitely working its way through my body,” he said. “Yesterday was horrible, but… I have these moments every day where I’m like, ‘Oh, wait, I think I feel totally better,’ and then, like, 10 minutes later, I’m like, ‘Ugh.’ ”
“I want to thank all the medical professionals who are working tirelessly for all of us, and urge everybody to stay home and take care of themselves,” Cohen added.
And, in an Instagram story update, he added: “Thank you for all of the amazing messages. I am getting better every day and can’t wait to see everybody again.”
Andy Cohen’s Skin Cancer Diagnosis
Cohen revealed that he had been diagnosed with skin cancer while co-hosting “Live with Kelly” in November of 2016. “I have to shout you out for something that you don’t know I’m gonna shout you out for,” Andy told co-host, Kelly Ripa, at the show’s opening. “But I had this black dot on my bottom lip that you and I were at a party for Anderson [Cooper]’s mom [Gloria Vanderbilt] in April, and you said, ‘You have a black dot on your lip. I don’t think that’s something good.'”
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Ripa went on to tell Cohen that neither she nor her husband, Mark Consuelos, had noticed the mark on Andy’s face before, which concerned her. “And the two of you were dogmatic that I get it checked out,” Cohen said. “And I didn’t because I’m like, ‘Oh no, I’m sure it’s nothing. It’s just a black dot.’ And she kept on me and kept on me.”
"There is an exponential increase in patients who develop melanomas who have been to tanning salons," says Dr. Anna Pavlick, an oncologist at NYU Langone Health.
“And the two of you were dogmatic that I get it checked out,” Cohen said. “And I didn’t because I’m like, ‘Oh no, I’m sure it’s nothing. It’s just a black dot.’ And she kept on me and kept on me.”
Ripa confirmed her tenacity. “I’m like a dog with a bone,” she said. “He would text me, I’m like, ‘Did you get your lip checked out yet, boo?’ He’d be like, ‘Not yet.'”
Dr. Sumaira Aasi, Professor of Dermatology and Director of Mohs and Dermatologic Surgery at Stanford, explains Mohs surgery for melanoma.
When Cohen finally saw a dermatologist, he was grateful for Rippa’s prodding: “It was melanoma. And they removed it, you know, the whole thing,” he shared. “And I just want to thank you because you were so dogmatic. And it’s all fine, but that’s a good friend.”
“I Am a Tanorexic”
Cohen said he learned a valuable lesson from this scary experience. “It really taught me because I am tanorexic. I love the sun, I really do, but just be careful,” Cohen said.
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