Ryan Reynolds is encouraging people over the age of 45 to have a colonoscopy, by undergoing the procedure himself on camera.
On Tuesday, the Deadpool actor shared a clip of himself undergoing a colonoscopy, revealing this was a forfeit for losing a bet with Wrexham FC co-owner Rob McElhenney.
The Canadian actor explained he made a bet that if Rob learned to speak Welsh, he would film and broadcast himself undergoing the intimate procedure.
With a smile, Rob then explained the bet in Welsh, with Ryan adding: “Rob and I turned 45 this year which means getting to an age is getting a colonoscopy.
“It’s a simple step that could literally, and I mean literally, save your life.”
In a more serious moment, Ryan was told by his doctor that an “extremely subtle polyp” had been found during the colonoscopy.
“This was potentially life-saving for you. I’m not kidding. I’m not being overly dramatic,” the doctor added
“You are interrupting the natural history of a disease, of a process, that could have ended up developing into cancer and causing all sorts of problems.
“You reached the age of 45, you had a routine screening and there you go, that’s why people need to do this. This saves lives, pure and simple.”
Rob then revealed that he’d also undergone a filmed colonoscopy, joking: “Either they find nothing, and that means my colon is cleaner than his, or they find a polyp and it’s either bigger than his… or it’s smaller than his which means I have less of an opportunity to have cancer.
“Either way I win.”
In fact, the It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia actor was told he had three polyps on his colon, which were swiftly removed.
Ryan and Rob first became friends after deciding to buy the third-division club Wrexham FC during lockdown, despite having not actually met.
Their pursuits were filmed as part of the Netflix documentary Welcome To Wrexham, with Ryan recently revealing his wife Blake Lively was none-too-pleased to discover his costly purchase.