A woman in a backless dress was warned by a stranger about a mole on her back — two weeks later, she desperately searched for the same person
People often overlook small details, but sometimes those very things reveal the most life-altering truths. 50-year-old Emma Wigmore from Chelmsford in Essex survived a life-threatening disease after a stranger told her to get her mole checked by a doctor. As reported by The Independent on January 21, 2026, Wigmore was spending time with friends on the South Bank on a summer afternoon in June 2025. That’s when an off-duty dermatologist noticed something concerning and told her about a mole on her back. Wigmore is now searching for her, as she unknowingly saved her life.
The stranger, who introduced herself as a dermatologist, approached Wigmore and said, “I hope you don’t mind. You might not realize this, but you’ve got a mole on your back, and I’m a dermatologist, and I’m a little bit worried about it.” Talking to the outlet, Wigmore explained that she was initially unsure of how to react, sharing that she had moles earlier but "never really been concerned" about any of them. “The fact she’d thought so much about whether to speak up made me take it seriously,” Wigmore remarked. After returning from London, Wigmore booked an urgent GP appointment and was placed on a six-week cancer referral pathway. Later, a private doctor examined the mole and immediately raised concern.
“You are not going anywhere with that mole—it needs to come out immediately,” the doctor told her. She had a holiday planned, but the doctor suggested postponing it as this was critical. The next day, the mole was removed, and two weeks later, Wigmore received a call confirming it was melanoma—a serious form of skin cancer. Doctors explained that it had been caught at stage one, which prevented it from advancing to the next stage, as it carries a higher risk of spreading. It may have required chemotherapy or radiotherapy, according to the doctors. Wigmore was told that if the mole had stayed longer, it could turn into something “much more serious.” According to the outlet, the mole had gone unnoticed because she rarely wears backless dress or ties her hair up, feeling self-conscious due to scarring from a previous brain tumor surgery.
Now recovered, Wigmore will be monitored for the next five years using the mole-mapping technique that helps the dermatologist track changes in moles over time. Wigmore said that without the intervention of the stranger, she would never have known if there was any mole. “I would love to find her to thank her for having the courage to stop me in the street and to tell me about her concerns,” Wigmore said, appealing to the public to help find the dermatologist. She said, “Before I had time to ask anything else, she was gone. I never even got her name,” describing her as being in her 30s or 40s with dark hair and an Irish accent.
In the U.K., over 17,000 melanoma diagnoses are made each year, making it the fifth most common cancer in the country. Early detection significantly improves survival rates, according to cancer charity Melanoma UK. The report also said that nine in ten people have survived at least ten years when their symptoms were detected early.
CEO of Melanoma UK, Tracy Paine, added, “Just as importantly, most cases are preventable, and protecting skin from UV damage — through shade, clothing, and sunscreen is easy.” The CEO advised regular checking of moles using the “ABCDE rule,” which means looking for “Asymmetry, Border irregularity, Color change, Diameter growth, and Evolution over time.” She also emphasized that UV protection is necessary year-round, even on cloudy or winter days.