Kylie Minogue revealed in 2021 that she had privately battled cancer for the second time, more than 15 years after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005 and successfully treated it.
“My second cancer diagnosis was in early 2021. I was able to keep it to myself… It’s different than the first time,” the 57-year-old pop star said in a new self-titled Netflix documentary released Tuesday.
“Thankfully, I got through it. Once again. And all is well. Hey, who knows what’s going to happen next, but pop music keeps me going…My passion for music is bigger than ever.”
The ‘I Can’t Get It Out of My Head’ hitmaker revealed she was diagnosed after a routine medical check-up.
Minogue said in promotional material for the documentary, according to the Guardian: “Some people may benefit from a gentle reminder to get checked up…Early detection is so helpful and I’m so grateful to be able to say I’m healthy today.”
After completing treatment, Minogue found success in 2023 with her Grammy-winning hit song “Padam Padam,” but she struggled to find the “right time” to go public with her diagnosis.
“I don’t feel obligated to tell the world. In fact, I couldn’t do it at the time because I was just a shell of a person,” she said.
“At a certain point, I never wanted to leave the house again. ‘Padam Padam’ opened a lot of doors for me, but deep down I knew cancer wasn’t just a blip in my life. And I just really wanted to say what happened, to let it go. Every time I had an interview or an opportunity, I thought, ‘Now is the time,’ but I kept it to myself.”
However, in her 2023 song “Story” from her album “Tension,” she mentions a “secret” battle she fought behind closed doors.
“I had a secret I kept to myself… Turn the next page, baby, come on stage,” some of the song’s lyrics read.
Minogue explained in the documentary that she shared a private part of her life in this song because she “needed something that defined that era.”
Minogue was 36 years old when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer. In response, she canceled the remaining dates of her Showgirls Best Hits tour, missed her headlining gig at Glastonbury Festival that year, and began cancer treatment in Melbourne.
She was declared cancer-free in 2006.
