A woman who began using sunbeds at 15 to 'compete' with friends for the darkest tan has died of advanced melanoma at the age of 30.

Chelsea Tantum, from Greater Manchester, died on 30 September, according to melanoma charity Melanoma Focus. In the years after her diagnosis she campaigned for tighter rules on commercial tanning and said she believed her decade of sunbed use had played a part in her cancer.

Ms Tantum said she first used sunbeds in her mid-teens, when 'everyone' at school seemed to be doing so. She and her friends went several times a week, comparing who came out darkest. She said she was never asked to prove her age and kept using sunbeds for about ten years.

Diagnosed at 28 After Years of Sunbed Use

A fast-changing mole on her leg was diagnosed as melanoma when she was 28. By then the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes and later to other organs, including her spine, lungs and liver, according to her own account. She had surgery to remove the tumour and groin lymph nodes, followed by immunotherapy that at times left her unable to walk.

She later responded well and scans showed no evidence of disease in her organs. Shortly before her 30th birthday, however, an MRI scan revealed the cancer had spread to her brain, which she described as 'stage 4D'.

Ms Tantum continued to speak publicly at interviews and conferences, saying melanoma was 'not just skin cancer'. She acknowledged that no doctor could say for certain what had caused her cancer.

'I can't say [sunbeds were] definitely the reason for my cancer, but if I could go back I would never, ever go on one,' she said earlier this year.

Melanoma Focus said she raised £4,210 ($5,603) for the charity and addressed this year's Melanoma Patient Conference. It described her as 'one in a million'.

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Sunbed Rules Under Review After Campaigner's Death

Under‑18s are banned from using commercial sunbeds in England, but ministers have said teenagers often get around the rules through contactless systems that let anyone use a machine without a staff check.

In May, the Department of Health and Social Care opened a 12‑week consultation, which closed on 14 August. It proposed mandatory ID checks, staff supervision, clearer health warnings and a ban on misleading claims, such as that sunbeds prevent sunburn or help with weight loss.

New rules could take effect as early as 2027, with a further call for evidence due this autumn to determine whether tougher action is needed. Sharon Hodgson, who was public health and prevention minister when the consultation was announced in May, said sunbeds cause cancer and warned that children as young as 14 were still accessing them illegally.

Experts Warn Over Young People and Sunbed Risk

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization, classifies UV-emitting tanning devices as Group 1 carcinogens, meaning they are carcinogenic to humans.

Professor Peter Johnson, NHS England's national clinical director for cancer, said sunbeds 'are not a harmless shortcut to a tan'. Melanoma Focus backed the proposals, citing research that found even a single exposure to indoor tanning before the age of 35 was associated with a 59 per cent higher risk of melanoma. Other cancer charities warn that so‑called 'base tans' do not protect against UV damage.

Tributes followed Ms Tantum's death. Relative Lee Craven said she 'never gave up fighting, right until the very end'. Her funeral is due to take place at Albion Church in Ashton on 23 October, followed by a committal at Dukinfield Crematorium.

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