Celebrating women
As we mark this important month, woman&home celebrates some of the inspirational celebrities who’ve spoken out about their experiences with the disease
OCTOBER IS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
JULIA BRADBURY
Television presenter Julia, 52, revealed she had been diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2021, and proceeded to share her treatment journey in a documentary, Breast Cancer and Me, which included having two lymph nodes removed as well as undergoing a mastectomy. ‘I’m not talking about my cancer diagnosis on social media to elongate sympathy,’ Julia told woman&home. ‘It’s not about me, but to spread awareness and open up the conversation.’
KYLIE MINOGUE
Pop princess Kylie, now 55, was just 36 when she was handed a breast cancer diagnosis back in May 2005. The singer underwent surgery just four days after being told the news, followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy, before she was given the all-clear a year later. ‘Cancer changed many things forever, and then some things did not change at all,’ she said, adding, ‘My illness made me even more passionate about all the people and all the things that I love. But at the same time, life as I had always known it was on hold.’
JENNIFER SAUNDERS
Comic actor Jennifer, 65, initially kept her 2009 diagnosis and chemotherapy treatment private, but after getting the all-clear, she went public about it in her 2013 biography, Bonkers: My Life in Laughs. ‘There are times when you want to cry all day,’ Jennifer wrote. ‘My lowest point came when I lost all my hair; every eyelash, every follicle... I felt like a chemical.’ The star has also been open about her experience with breast cancer drug tamoxifen, which sent her into ‘brutal’ menopause.
ANGELINA JOLIE
In 2013, after discovering that she carried the BRCA1 gene, and being told by doctors that she had an 87% risk of breast cancer and a 50% risk of ovarian cancer, Hollywood actor Angelina Jolie, then aged 37, made the decision to undergo a double mastectomy. The star, whose mother had died of the disease aged 56, explained, ‘I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity. For any woman reading this, I hope it helps you to know you have options’, adding, ‘I want to encourage every woman, especially if you have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, to seek out the information and medical experts who can help you through this aspect of your life, and to make your own informed choices.’
SAMANTHA WOMACK
EastEnders actor Samantha, 50, opened up about her cancer prognosis last August, telling fans she underwent a lumpectomy and had a lymph node removal to take out a mass that had been found. Revealing s
