Abby Huntsman calls her father's cancer 'a wake-up call'

The View co-host opened up about his recent melanoma diagnosis.

November 1, 2018, 11:53 AM

"The View" co-host Abby Hunstman said that her dad's melanoma diagnosis was "a wake-up call."

She confirmed that her dad, Ambassador Jon Huntsman Jr., was treated for skin cancer recently.

"I'm a daddy's girl," Abby Huntsman said Thursday on "The View." "He's my role model in life."

"We don't love anyone more than our own family so hang on tight to the people you love and go get yourself checked out," she said.

Her father's diagnosis and subsequent treatment, which involved surgery to remove two moles, one on his leg and one behind his ear, was first reported in a profile published by Utah newspaper The Deseret News.

In the article, Jon Huntsman said it was stage 1 cancer and that doctors have given him a positive prognosis since it was caught early.

Jon Huntsman is the current U.S. ambassador to Russia, former governor of Utah, former ambassador to China and former Republican nominee for president.

Abby Huntsman said that her father "didn't want to actually tell us" about his diagnosis.

Abby Huntsman said that she also had a skin issue recently.

"Two weeks ago, I had a mole taken out that was headed in the same direction as his," she said, referencing her father's melanoma.

Abby Huntsman's announcement about her father's diagnosis comes two months after fellow co-host Meghan McCain's father, Sen. John McCain, died after his own cancer battle.

On "The View," Abby Huntsman revealed that Meghan McCain was "the first person I called" after learning about her father's illness.