Kylie Minogue reveals heartbreaking second cancer diagnosis as star says 'I got through it again'
Kylie said she wanted to speak publicly now because it felt important to be honest about what happened
Kylie Minogue has revealed she was diagnosed with breast cancer for a second time in 2021, more than 15 years after first being treated for the disease.
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The singer says she kept the second diagnosis private, unlike in 2005 when she had to pause her Showgirl world tour after being diagnosed while in the public eye.
In her new Netflix documentary series, Kylie, the 57-year-old says: “I was able to keep that to myself and go through that year, not like the first time.
“I’ve been trying to find the right time to say it - I just couldn’t at the time. I was just a shell of a person.”
Kylie said she wanted to speak publicly now because it felt important to be honest about what happened.
She explained: “Thankfully I got through it again and all is well.
Read More: Kylie Minogue ‘felt removed from body’ after cancer diagnosis, new trailer reveals
“Making this documentary has meant looking back at so many pivotal moments in my life and this was another one. I also know there will be someone out there who will benefit from a gentle reminder to do their check-ups.
“As part of my routine check-ups in 2021, I was diagnosed with a second primary breast cancer. Early detection was very helpful and I am so grateful to be able to say that I am well today.”
The singer said she later channelled the experience into music, writing the song Story with long-time collaborator Richard “Biff” Stannard.
She said: “When I started writing Story I knew one day I would share what the meaning behind the song was. Finding the right time to do so was tricky. I didn’t imagine it would be in a documentary but perhaps it found its own time and place.”
She also urged others not to miss appointments after cancer treatment.
Kylie said: “I get it; you just want to move on and put it in the past or park it to the side. But, check-ups are incredibly important. It can be daunting and triggering but please be mindful of just how vital they are - and reach out for help if you need it, you're not alone.”
The documentary also looks back at her first diagnosis in 2005, when she says she postponed chemotherapy while trying IVF as she hoped to start a family with former partner Olivier Martinez.
She said: “There’s so much more to cancer than you had it, you got through it and you’re fine - or fine for now. I was 36 when I got my diagnosis so already it’s - you need to be thinking about children.”
She added: “I did try. I even postponed my chemotherapy to try - which was quite scary at the time because you just want it out. Gone. I want to feel safe, I don’t want this. But yeah, I did try a few times with IVF, always it was with such a thread of hope. But I couldn’t not try.
“If it had happened it would have been just shy of a miracle. But it didn’t work out that way. One can’t help but wonder what it would have been like - I’m so close to my family. But it wasn’t my path.”
At one point in the film, Kylie reads words from a letter to the child she might have had.
She says: “Distant child, my flower, are you blowing in the breeze?”
“Can you feel me as I breathe life into you, wrapped in a blanket of hope, asleep on a bed of dreams? My step into eternity is not what it might have been. Or not at all - for who knows which way the wind is going to blow? I’m waiting for your whisper.”
Her sister Dannii Minogue also appears in the documentary and says: “I never saw myself as a parent.
“And she always did. That’s heartbreaking.”
Reflecting on Kylie’s illness in 2005, Dannii adds: “I remember saying, if I could chop off one of my arms now and this could all go away, I would. I just felt so helpless.”
Kylie also recalls a moment during treatment in Paris when she looked out at the Eiffel Tower.
She said: “I thought ‘Oh, she’s sparkling for me!’ And I thought ‘I’m not finished. This is not where I want to say goodbye’.”
After treatment, she said she was determined to return to touring.
“I wanted to feel able again,” she says. “Bit it wasn’t easy, I felt so drained. I felt like my body was a battleground."
The second diagnosis also helps explain why Kylie moved back to Australia towards the end of 2021, settling in Melbourne.
She says: “I was saved - I really was.
“Of course, you learn what resilience means and what love means. Having had cancer one important thing to know is - you’re still the same person. I remember coming out at the other end and feeling more like myself than ever before.”
She also says messages from fans were a major source of comfort.
“Those letters, in pretty dark moments, they meant so much.”
The documentary follows Kylie through later milestones too, including her long-awaited Glastonbury performance in 2019 after she had to pull out in 2005.
Looking back, she says: “I was terrified it would be like Spinal Tap.”
She adds: “It was such a wave of love.
“I had so much goodness from so many people who had willed me to reach that stage.”
Reflecting on the moment, she says: “I think I might have done it. Little Kylie got there.”
Nick Cave, who also appears in the documentary, says: “Her connection with the audience, it’s not phoney.
“It is very real to her - it’s a true form of love.”
Looking ahead, Kylie says she still wants to keep working, even if she plans to slow down slightly.
She says: “Hey, who knows what is around the corner?" But pop music nurtures me. Pop can elate you, it can soothe you, it can be a type of salvation for some people. My passion for music is greater than ever.”