SEVEN courageous lads dropped their trousers live on TV to save the lives of young men.

They were all mates of 23-year-old Mark Gorry, from Widnes, who died in 2009, from testicular cancer.

They appeared on Channel 4’s medical programme ‘Embarrassing Bodies’ last Tuesday to show men aged 25-35 how easy it is to check their testicles.

Mark’s best friend, Mike Bignall, aged 38, of Beechwood, Runcorn, said: “The rehearsal was daunting but there wasn’t any way you could tell who you were looking at.

“If it is caught early, it is 95 per cent curable.

“That’s the importance of getting guys to get checked. There is no reason to be embarrassed.”

Mark, of Wavertree Avenue, a software designer at 02, set The Mark Gorry Foundation, before he died to raise £1 million for Clatterbridge and raise awareness.

So far, his friends and family have raised almost £200,000.

Mike said: “Mark was very selfless. He was a great lad, really funny. He liked to have a laugh and joke. He was a big fan of the Vikings.

“He was a normal lad with special qualities. He would have been proud of us.”

Ste Bignall from Runcorn, Andy Carpenter, Mike Chaloner and Alex Kelly from Widnes, Kris Goodier from Northwich and Paul Moorehead from North Wales took part in the programme.

Some 2,000 men are diagnosed with testicular cancer every year and around 73 die because it is detected too late.