A personal trainer who had to get doctors to take off more than a third of his penis has said that despite the major transformation he’s been told by former lovers that they “still go there”.

Joe Merrall, from Auckland in New Zealand, said he initially felt “less of a man” when surgeons removed the entire head of his penis and some of the shaft in mid-January after a shock penile cancer diagnosis two days before Christmas.

Joe first noticed a small pea-sized lump on the left side of the head of his penis in August 2022 and booked a GP appointment a month later.

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A doctor told him to book a follow-up appointment if the cream Joe was given didn't clear up what was suspected to be thrush or an STI.

But over the coming weeks, the lump 'engulfed' the head of his penis, covering the urethra and even spread down the shaft of his penis, causing him excruciating pain and trouble while urinating.

He said: "I experienced every emotion known to man when I got the diagnosis.

"It was the worst timing and it sent me down a spiral.

"I bottled it all up, I didn't even want to go to the gym, I just thought 'what's the point?”, he said.

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The surgery took its toll on him, admitting that the doctors’ handiwork “looks weird”, adding: “My [urine] flow is all over the show. I'm still adjusting but they may well tidy it up at some stage”.

But after the 39-year-old raised his worries with exes and female friends, he was reassured when they commended him on his bravery for speaking about his experience, with some joking they’d “still go there”.

Three weeks on from his life changing operation, Joe was relieved to be told he’ll be able to have sex again.

Despite the good news, he now faces a worrying wait to see if the cancer has spread into his lymph nodes and therefore requires further surgery.

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Joe said he wanted to share his ordeal in order to encourage blokes to regularly check themselves and get anything unusual investigated by a doctor.

He said: "When I got the diagnosis I just went numb, I couldn't really hear what the doctor was saying. It was like in the movies where everything goes quiet.

"I told my younger brother as I was staying with him at the time and we started making jokes. I was kind of laughing but then I went to lie down on my bed and cried.

Joe said that following the surgery, he now feels a lot better.

He has adonation pageto help him fight his battle with cancer, which has so far raised nearly $23,000.

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