Kylie Minogue secretly battled cancer again in 2021: ‘I don’t feel obliged to tell the world’

Kylie Minogue said she overcame her second cancer battle and that music helped her stay strong through the difficult period
Kylie Minogue said she kept her second cancer diagnosis private after her 2005 battle drew intense media attention (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images))
Kylie Minogue said she kept her second cancer diagnosis private after her 2005 battle drew intense media attention (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images))

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA: Kylie Minogue has opened up about a serious health battle she dealt with in private. The 'Can’t Get You Out of My Head' singer revealed that she was diagnosed with cancer for a second time, nearly 20 years after her first battle with breast cancer in 2005.

“My second cancer diagnosis was in early 2021. I was able to keep that to myself,” Kylie, 57, shared. “Not like the first time.” She also added, “I don’t feel obliged to tell the world.”

Despite going through such a difficult phase quietly, she explained why she chose to keep it private. Minogue said she is in a much better place now. “I am so grateful to be able to say that I am well today,” she shared in her documentary 'Kylie'.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 30: Kylie Minogue attends the 2020 AAA Arts Awards at Skylight Modern o
Kylie Minogue attends the 2020 AAA Arts Awards at Skylight Modern on January 30, 2020, in New York City (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

Kylie Minogue reveals secret second cancer battle

The Australian singer and actor said she is grateful she made it through the difficult period. “Got through it, again,” she shared. “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,” she continued.

Minogue explained that she chose to keep her second diagnosis private because her first breast cancer battle in 2005 became heavily publicized and spread quickly in the media.

The Grammy winner admitted it wasn’t easy figuring out when or if to share her second diagnosis after finishing treatment. She especially struggled with that decision following the massive success of her 2023 track 'Padam Padam.'

Kylie Minogue battled her cancer two times (@Netflix/youtube)
Kylie Minogue battled her cancer two times (@Netflix/youtube)

She also reflected on how low she felt during that time, saying, "Actually, I just couldn't at the time because I was just a shell of a person. I didn't want to leave the house again at one point."

"'Padam Padam' opened so many doors for me,” Kylie continued, "but on the inside I knew that cancer wasn't just a blip in my life."

Looking back, she said she often considered speaking about it during interviews but held back. "I really just wanted to say what happened so I can let go of it," she recalled. "I'd sit through interviews and every opportunity I thought, 'Now’s the time,' but I kept it to myself."

Kylie Minogue says cancer affected motherhood plans

Minogue has shared that her cancer treatment made it harder for her to become a mother. After recovering from her first diagnosis, she considered other options like adoption and surrogacy after IVF did not work.

Her sister Dannii Minogue also said in the documentary that she never really saw herself as a parent in the same way the singer did. Dannii later had a son, Ethan, with her ex-partner Kris Smith, as per E! News.

Minogue also explained that she was already thinking about having children when she was first diagnosed, which is why she tried IVF. She said, “I was 36 when I got my diagnoses so already it's - you need to be thinking about children.”

She also shared how people often take simple, everyday things for granted until something traumatic happens that changes everything.

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