Weatherman Sam Champion Warns of Sun Exposure Danger After Cancer Diagnosis

Sam Champion attends the PFLAG 50th Anniversary Gala in New York City on March 03, 2023. Cindy Ord/Getty Images

ABC Weatherman Sam Champion returned to Good Morning America, revealing his recent cancer diagnosis after taking a leave of absence.

During a live segment on Oct. 18, Champion shared that he underwent surgery for skin cancer earlier this month at New York City’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

The 63-year-old longtime television personality was diagnosed with nodular basal cell carcinoma (BCC) after he sought treatment for a mark on his right cheek.

“We started talking about it, and so many people were interested in it, we thought we’d continue the conversation,” he told his fellow “GMA” hosts.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, BCC is one of the most common types of basal cell skin cancer and forms in the outside layer of your skin.

The slow-growing cancer usually appears on the face but can occur anywhere on the body that has been exposed to the sun.

Indicating the scar on his face, Champion said the cancer was “larger and deeper” than he expected, noting doctors opted to take precautionary measures and performed laser treatment to remove dark, precancerous dots elsewhere on his face.

“I hope that one day no one has to go through surgery to get rid of skin cancer, but, right now, we have to keep our eye on our skin, our hands ... be very vigilant, and notice any unusual spots, and if those spots start to change, immediately get care,” he said.

The GMA host went on to thank fans for their support and express gratitude to medical personnel who helped him along the way.

In sharing his health scare, Champion hopes to raise awareness of the dangers of increased sun exposure, urging viewers to never leave the house without sunscreen.

“When I’m not bringing you the weather, I love nothing more than being outside, but these days, I wouldn’t think about going outside without sunscreen. It wasn’t always the case,” he said.

“I don’t even have any way of counting how many times I had blistering sunburns. That was just the story of my life,” he added before demonstrating how to properly apply sunscreen.

This wasn’t Champion’s first bout with the disease after being previously diagnosed in his 20s as a result of years of tanning and too much time in the sun.

“No matter how old you are—my first one was at 26—no matter what your skin tone, your skin type, your skin color, they’re cutting skin cancer off of everybody. So, it’s everybody’s issue,” he said.

Champion has also been documenting his journey on social media, where he plans to continue the conversation by sharing cancer prevention tips and his scar healing process.

“The next phase of my journey will be scar care, and trust me, there is a lot of advancement in that as well,” he said on GMA.