THE founder of a prostate cancer awareness group is “desperate” to find a black celebrity to help encourage those of African descent to get tested for the disease.

Statistics show one in four black men will get prostate cancer at some point in their lives, putting them twice as likely as white men.

However, David Baxter-Smith, who started Worcestershire Prostate Awareness Group (WPA) in 2014, said black men are generally reluctant to get tested.

“They have got a cultural problem about talking about their private parts,” he said.

“We are desperate to try and get a [black] entertainer or a sportsman or a pop star to promote it but we can’t.

“One who will speak out about it and get people on board.”

Dr Baxter-Smith, a retired urologist, who was speaking at a PSA screening event at Worcester Racecourse on Monday, helps arrange screening events throughout the UK.

He said: “Robert Mugabe’s got prostate cancer, Desmond Tutu’s got prostate cancer, the Archbishop of York’s got prostate cancer – it’s terribly prominent with the Afro-Caribbeans.”

“The worst place in the world to get prostate cancer is Jamaica and when the Afro-Caribbeans moved to North America from this country, they get it worse. Why? We don’t know.”

Dr Baxter-Smith, whose dad died of prostrate cancer over 15 years ago, said “recognising this problem in Worcester” he held an event in Brixton.

“We took the television cameras because they were doing a documentary on prostate cancer, especially in Afro-Caribbeans.

“I think we had 42 men turn up, seven of which were Afro-Caribbean and that was our venture down in London. We can’t get them.”

However, he said those of Chinese descent “rarely” get prostate cancer – “it’s very unusual in the Far East, but it gets more common the further you are from the equator”.

“How do you explain that? Southern Australia is far more common than Northern Australia.”

Dr Baxter-Smith said experts are unsure about why certain people are more likely get the disease.

“We don’t think it’s diet. It might be genetic. If there’s a family history of prostate cancer – if your father or brother has got prostate cancer or your mother has had breast cancer, you’re more likely to get it.”

“My father died of prostate cancer so I am more likely to get it,” he said.

Worcester News is backing a campaign to raise £30,000 for WPA, which has already screened 4,000 men for dangerous PSA levels.

To donate see: justgiving.com/crowdfunding/worcestershire-prostate-awareness

To find out more about upcoming screening events in the county or to make an appointment, call WPA on 07522 504300.