When Jamie Theakston was asked to talk about his testicles on TV, no doubt he felt a fleeting moment of bashfulness.

Men are notoriously protective of their private parts and when it comes to talking about manhood-related health complaints, they tend to shy away from scrutiny.

According to a survey commissioned by male cancer charity Everyman, one in five men go to their doctor much later than they should after finding unusual symptoms.

About 73 per cent of GPs say men are not very good at talking about embarrassing medical issues.

But Ditchling-born Jamie grabbed the bull by the horns to speak out in a documentary aimed at taking the taboo out of testicular cancer.

Together with Ronan Keating, Jamie Oliver, Moby and Simon le Bon, TV presenter Jamie spoke frankly about his own body and the subject of testicular cancer generally as part of a documentary called Better Mind Your Bollocks.

But one man who doesn't need a documentary to tell him the importance of looking after his testicles is James Gardner.

James was 24 when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. It was a life-changing moment he will never forget.

At first his doctor had prescribed antibiotics, thinking it was an infection, but after a couple of weeks the swelling hadn't gone down.

James said: "When I went back the second time I asked if it could be cancer and he said yes, it could be. I felt pretty shocked and it took a while to sink in."

Now 31, James, of Sandymount Avenue, Bognor, remembers the trauma of the weeks following his ultrasound test with painful clarity.

He said: "I was so young at the time it made it even more of a shock. At that age you think you are never going to die. It really put everything into perspective."

James had one testicle removed to prevent the tumour spreading. Luckily, it was removed in time, though the weeks of radiotherapy that followed made him feel sicker than he had ever felt before.

But during that time he and girlfriend Becky decided to get married. Seven years later, they are still together and have two children, two-year-old Christopher and Alice, ten months.

James believes it is a good idea to bring the issue of testicular cancer out into the open. He advises anyone who is worried to visit their doctor.

He said: "You have nothing to lose by going to the doctor. It isn't very nice having a testicle removed, but I didn't feel like I was losing a part of myself that was really important. If I didn't have it removed, I would have died and there's no point having all your bits if you are dead."

The Sky One documentary will be shown on Sunday at 9pm. For information and a leaflet on testicular cancer contact the Everyman freephone number 0800 731 9468, or write to: Everyman Campaign, The Institute of Cancer Research, 123 Old Brompton Road, London, SW7 3RP.