AceShowbiz - Ryan Reynolds had an "extremely subtle polyp" removed in a "potentially life-saving" colonoscopy. The "Deadpool" actor, 45, underwent the procedure with his friend Rob McElhenney, also 45, on camera in a new YouTube video to raise awareness of cancer.

Dad-of-three Ryan, who shares his kids with actress wife Blake Lively, 35, joked he only agreed to publicly broadcast the procedure if Rob learned Welsh. He told viewers, "It's a simple step that could literally, and I mean literally, save your life."

Following his 30-minute rectal exam, Ryan was told by his doctor an "extremely subtle polyp" had been found. The medic told the actor, "This was potentially life-saving for you - I'm not kidding, I'm not being overly dramatic. This is exactly why you do this. You had no symptoms."

The doctor added after he removed the growth, "You are interrupting the natural history of a disease of something of a process that could have ended up developing into cancer and causing all sorts of problems." Rob was found to have had three polyps, but was told they were "not a big deal."

The footage was produced in partnership with Lead from Behind and the Colorectal Cancer Alliance. It comes after Ryan admitted about his mental health, "I've had anxiety my whole life really. And you know, I feel like I have two parts of my personality, that one takes over when that happens."