Former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres says she has skin cancer

San Juan —  Dayanara Torres, who was crowned Miss Universe in 1993, said in a social media post that she was diagnosed with skin cancer and was recovering from a second procedure on the back of her knee as she waits a treatment plan.

The 44-year-old Puerto Rican beauty queen, who was married to singer Marc Anthony from 2000 to 2004, said in a post on her official Instagram account on Monday that the cancer originated in a mole that suddenly appeared and she had never paid attention to.

“Now we are waiting to see which treatment I will be receiving, but they have already removed a big area from the back of my knee & also they have removed 2 lymph nodes at the top of my leg where it had already spread.”

“My fiancé Louis had been begging me to have it checked & finally made an appointment himself ... after a biopsy & a second surgery last Tuesday the results unfortunately are positive,” the former beauty queen said on Instagram.

Torres said she was hopeful that the disease had not spread any further, but her sons from her marriage to Marc Anthony, Cristian and Ryan, were a bit scared, but “they know about my faith and that they have a warrior of a mommy!”

Torres said mothers worry about everyone except themselves.

“Please, never forget to take care of yourself. If you see something or feel something different in your body, have it checked ... I had no idea skin cancer could spread anywhere else in your body,” the former Miss Universe said.

Torres got engaged in October to Louis D’Esposito, the co-president of Marvel Studios and a film producer.

The model and television star was born on Oct. 28, 1974, in Toa Alta, a city in northern Puerto Rico.

After finishing her reign as Miss Universe, Torres received numerous job offers and had a successful career as a singer, dancer, entertainer and model in the Philippines.

She hosted a show, “ASAP (As Soon as Possible),” on which she sang, danced, co-hosted and conducted interviews.

Her performance on ASAP won her the 1995 Star Award for Best New TV Personality in the Philippines, marking the first time the award was given to a foreign woman.

Torres also starred in a couple of movies in the Asian nation.

In 2017, Torres won the fifth season of “Mira quien baila” (Look Who’s Dancing!) on the Univision network, earning $ 50,000 for the Boys and Girls Foundation of the San Jorge Hospital in San Juan.