Kylie Minogue reveals she beat breast cancer twice
In a new Netflix docuseries, Minogue shared that she received a second cancer diagnosis in 2021.
Photo by Brendon Thorne/Singapore GP via Getty Images
Australian singer Kylie Minogue revealed in her new docuseries KYLIE, out today on Netflix, that she overcame breast cancer not once but twice: first in 2005, in a highly publicized battle with the disease, and again, privately, in 2021. “My second cancer diagnosis was in early 2021. I was able to keep that to myself … Not like the first time,” she said in the documentary, referring to the media fixation surrounding her first bout of the disease. “Thankfully, I got through it. Again. And all is well. Hey, who knows what’s around the corner, but pop music nurtures me… my passion for music is greater than ever.”
Soon after treatment, Minogue released the Grammy-winning “Padam Padam” in 2023. “I don’t feel obliged to tell the world, and actually I just couldn’t at the time because I was just a shell of a person,” she said. “I didn’t want to leave the house again at one point. ‘Padam Padam’ opened so many doors for me but on the inside I knew that cancer wasn’t just a blip in my life. And I really just wanted to say what happened so I can let go of it. I’d sit through interviews and every opportunity I thought, ‘Now’s the time,’ but I kept it to myself.”
Minogue was first diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2005. At the time, she was in the midst of a greatest hits tour, much of which she had to cancel to undergo treatment. The paparazzi’s coverage of Minogue’s treatment drew anger from fans who felt she was subjected to an unwelcome level of scrutiny during a difficult period in her life. Minogue underwent a lumpectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation, and was declared cancer-free in 2006.
Her public health battle led to a surge in breast cancer screenings across the UK and Australia; doctors dubbed it the “Kylie effect.” Since then, Minogue has become an advocate for breast cancer awareness. In the documentary, she said she shared her story in the hope that there is “someone out there who will benefit from a gentle reminder to do their checkups,” crediting the early detection of her cancer with her current health: “I am so grateful to be able to say that I am well today.”
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