After cancer killed both of his parents, Jeremy Hunt has spoken candidly about how fortunate he feels to have survived.

The 56-year-old Chancellor disclosed last year that he has been fighting the illness covertly and behind closed doors.

He had already recovered from the illness, but now that his brother has also been diagnosed, he has revealed the devastating circumstances of the condition that has devastated his family.

The Chancellor revealed that he discovered a mole on his head that “grew and grew” and that he was informed that it was a type of skin cancer.

The 56-year-old said to MailOnline: “I was a cabinet minister at the time; I wasn’t in my current position, but it was definitely the first time that the ‘C word’ had been mentioned in terms of my own health so that makes you sit up.

“But I was fortunate. The cancer was not life-threatening, and it was discovered very early.

“I know that people across the nation are going through this because I have family members who have faced even more difficult battles with cancer.

“My brother is doing fine, but like many families affected by cancer, it has changed our lives,”

Both his mother, Lady Meriel, who passed away last year at the age of 84, and his father, Royal Navy admiral Sir Nicholas Hunt, died of cancer in 2013.

Nearly three years ago, my 53-year-old brother Charlie received a sarcoma diagnosis.

It is an uncommon, severe type of cancer that usually develops in the soft tissues or bones.

Charlie thought back to the day he underwent surgery on his right leg and was unsure if he would ever be able to walk normally again.

“Since then, the fight has continued with surgery on both of my lungs,” he continued.

“I’ve been in and out of the hospital rather frequently, but the NHS has provided wonderful care, and I’m still going strong almost three years later.

But it still represents a significant struggle for my family and I.

I cautiously proposed to Jeremy that we run the marathon together for the first time.

The Chancellor ran in a five-kilometer charity race last year while wearing pink to support Cancer Research UK.

At the time, Mr. Hunt stated: “I personally had a tiny issue that, happily, was resolved.

“So it had a really big impact on my family.

There are several things we can do to raise the survival statistics for cancer.

“The more we do to raise money and awareness, the more lives we’ll save.”

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