Kylie Minogue has shared that she fought a second battle with breast cancer in 2021 but chose to keep her diagnosis private.
The revelation comes as the first episode of a new three-part documentary about the singer and actor’s life and career arrives on Netflix.
In the series which charts Minogue’s journey from child actor to global icon, she shares that she was diagnosed with breast cancer for a second time in 2021. She was successfully treated for the disease the first time in 2005.
“My second cancer diagnosis was in early 2021. I was able to keep that to myself … Not like the first time,” she said, referring to her highly publicised first treatment.
“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.”
Minogue’s first diagnosis forced her to cancel her Australian tour and she had to pull out of headlining the Glastonbury Music Festival in the UK.
Not long after facing cancer for the second time the singer was riding a wave of success with her song Padam Padam, and she said she found it hard to find the right time to share the personal news.
“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.”
Kylie Minogue shared that the lyrics to the song Story from her album Tension refer to her secret cancer journey. She revealed that she discovered her cancer had returned during a routine check up.
Kylie also has a brand new song to go with the documentary. Light Up was released today.
