Apprentice hopeful Jonny Heaver was last night sent packing by Lord Sugar, making him the fifth contestant to be fired from the hit BBC show.
The 23-year-old tutoring company owner shocked fans after promising a luxury £400 per person Turkish corporate getaway yet delivering a bumpy road trip and alcohol-free meal.
But it’s not the first time he has been bombarded by questions from viewers, last week revealing on TikTok exactly what ‘had happened to his face’.
In the video viewed 1.7 million times, the entrepreneur from Kent said he was born with a ‘giant melanocytic nevus covering half my face and head’.
The condition, known medically as congenital melanocytic nevus (CMN), causes an abnormally dark skin patch to emerge at birth or in the first few months of life.
While the growth isn’t cancerous, that doesn’t mean it is harmless.
If left to spread untreated, the growth can start to affect tissue in the brain and spinal cord leading to seizures and it can also raise the risk of suffering from skin cancer.
‘Mum and Dad actually made the really difficult decision at the time to remove my CMN, hence the scarring,’ Jonny said.
‘The surgery got quite obtrusive and it actually affected my eye and it’s basically called an ectropion, which basically means my eye droops down.’
Apprentice hopeful Jonny Heaver was last night sent packing by Lord Sugar, marking the fifth contestant to be fired from the hit BBC show
In the video, viewed 1.7 million times, the entrepreneur from Kent said he was born with a ‘giant melanocytic nevus covering half my face and head’
He detailed how this often causes him in pain, as a larger section of his eye is exposed than normal, leaving him more prone to ingrown eyelashes and irritation.
But he has undergone numerous surgeries and skin grafts throughout his life to make his eye a better shape.
CMN is a condition affecting about one in every 100 infants born globally each year.
But giant growths — typically 20cm or larger in diameter — are much less common, only occurring in about one in every 20,000 births.
Studies suggest that between 4 to 6 per cent of all giant CMN lesions develop into malignant melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
This is because the CMN melanocytes, or skin cells, which may then mutate, multiply, and become cancerous.
Melanoma is often fast growing and can quickly burrow through the skin and into the blood vessels beneath.
Once the cancer cells get into the bloodstream, the disease can spread throughout the body.
The 23-year-old tutoring company owner shocked fans last night after promising a luxury £400 per person Turkish corporate getaway yet delivering a bumpy road trip and alcohol-free meal
Signs of skin cancer range from innocuous to obvious, but experts warn that treating cases early is key to making sure they do not spread or further develop
Other types of tumors can also develop in patients with giant CNMs but are less rare.
These include soft tissue tumors — sarcomas — fatty tumors (lipomas), and tumors of the nerve cells (schwannomas).
CMNs, which are sometimes called ‘brown birthmarks’ by medics, are caused by the faulty development of pigment cells during the first trimester of pregnancy.
Dr Adil Sheraz, consultant dermatologist and British Skin Foundation spokesperson, said: ‘The word melanocytic refers to being composed of melanocytes — these are cells that produce pigment or color.
‘A naevus is another word for a mole. A mole that is present from birth is known as a congenital melanocytic naevus (or birthmark).’
Treatment is usually surgery to remove the blemish, while full-thickness grafts may be required for large growths.
If surgery isn’t possible due to the size, location or thickness of the blemish, laser therapy may help to reduce pigmentation.
In his six-minute-long TikTok Jonny added: ‘I don’t want a sob story. I don’t want people to like me, and support me because of what I’ve been through.’
‘I have been through a lot of surgery in my life, but I think it’s made me stronger. Since a baby, I’ve had on and off surgery all my life.
‘I cope with pain. That gives me grit and determination.’
He added: ‘Hopefully I’m bucking that trend and showing people we’re all beautiful and we’re all unique.
‘We can go for these reality shows, big series, even if you do have a facial difference, or difference whatever that is.
‘People are all born with differences, mine is a birth making covering my face, other people it could be a physical attributes somewhere else on their body.
‘A speech thing, anything, we’ve all got things that make us different, that’s what makes us exciting as humanity.’
