It was the hardest moment of Paul Anderson’s life.

But the 49-year-old has chosen to share the moment he found out he had cancer with millions of people, in a bid to help save the lives of hundreds of men just like himself.

Mr Anderson, from Twickenham, is appearing in a new Cancer Research UK TV advert which focuses on the emotions of real cancer sufferers.

He received the devastating news that he was suffering from penile cancer, which affects about 400 men every year, in 2007.

As part of his treatment, he had to have three operations and two skin grafts as surgeons battled to remove the cancer.

Now, two years on, Mr Anderson, who has worked as part of the maintenance team at Richmond College for 15 years, has been given the all clear and has six-month check-ups to monitor his health.

He said: “It was a total shock - my life was turned upside down. It was a shock to everyone, my son, my stepdaughter, my grandchildren.

“It’s made me appreciate people now. It’s made me appreciate helping other people because of the extraordinary help I was given.

“Its not one of those diseases you talk about but it's a case of not dying of embarrassment.”

It is the first time Cancer Research UK has featured real cancer patients and survivors in a TV advert, which will be shown on terrestrial, digital and sky channels throughout this month and early August.

Speaking about the filming of the advert, Mr Anderson said: “It was a fun day and I met some interesting people. It wasn’t hard to talk about because I think about it every day.”

In the UK about 300,000 people are diagnosed with cancer every year, with 31,170 cases in the London area alone.

Cancer Research UK spokeswoman, Lynn Daly said: “The phrase ‘I’ve had a really bad day’ is often thrown around, but our new ad campaign really puts things in perspective.

“We have chosen real people like Paul over actors to emphasise that cancer is not something which happens to ‘other people’, it is around us every day whether that be personally or through family and friends.“ To find out more about supporting Cancer Research UK visit cancerresearchuk.org.