With breast cancer being one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the world, many celebrities have suffered from the disease. Most of them have been able to fight the cancer and continue with their lives, while some have failed to win their battle against breast cancer. But almost all of the celebrities diagnosed with breast cancer have openly spoken about their journey to inspire others and spread awareness about the importance of early diagnosis when it comes to breast cancer. Here are 20+ celebrities living with breast cancer or had it once in their life.
Olivia Munn
Olivia Munn was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023, due to which she had to undergo a double mastectomy. The Newsroom actor was tested for cancer genes, and the results were negative. Her mammogram also appeared to be normal, but when her doctor assessed her for breast cancer risk, he found that her lifetime risk of acquiring cancer was 37%. And so he asked her to get an MRI, ultrasound, and a biopsy. She was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer called Luminal B breast cancer. Besides the double mastectomy, Olivia Munn also had to undergo a hysterectomy and oophorectomy to prevent the recurrence of her breast cancer, as the medications to suppress the hormones were having significant side effects on her. Today, Olivia openly speaks about her journey in an attempt to inspire people and spread awareness.
Shannen Doherty
Shannen Doherty has been diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer, which has metastasized to her brain and bones. The actress is trying her best to fight the cancer and has shared that sometimes she feels extremely low and wonders why this is happening to her. She was previously diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, for which she underwent surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. She defeated her cancer back then and was in remission. But, unfortunately, her cancer returned, and it is much more aggressive now. The Beverly Hills star kept the return of her cancer a secret for a year, trying to deal with it before sharing it now.
Suzanne Somers
The actress best known for her role in Three’s Company passed away on October 15, 2023. She had battled cancer for two decades and was open about her experience. Somers shared how stunned she was when she got her diagnosis as she did not drink too much alcohol or abuse drugs, but later, she realized that everyone is at risk for cancer, irrespective of how they spend their lives.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer for the first time in 2000 via a routine mammogram. To beat the cancer, she opted for a lumpectomy and radiation therapy. Then, in July 2023, the actress revealed that her breast cancer had returned, and she was ready to fight it once again.
Cynthia Nixon
Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon is a breast cancer survivor just like her mother. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006. Back then, she did not share her diagnosis and privately underwent a lumpectomy and radiation. But, soon, she realized the importance of talking about this life-threatening cancer, and, in 2008, she became the ambassador for a breast cancer foundation, Susan G. Komen.
Christina Applegate
Christina Applegate always knew she had a higher risk of getting breast cancer. Her mom, Nancy Priddy, was diagnosed with breast cancer in her thirties and then again in her fifties. As she had a family history of breast cancer, she made sure to get herself checked every year and even got mammograms at the start of her 30s. This way, the cancer was found at an early stage when it was easier to treat.
She was immediately scheduled for a lumpectomy and radiation. But, due to her mother’s history of breast cancer and the fact that she got diagnosed with cancer at such an early age, she opted to go for genetic testing for BRCA mutations. Unfortunately, she tested positive for BRCA 1 mutation. This meant that, just like her mother, she was at a high risk of developing breast cancer once again in her life. As a result, Christina decided to undergo a double mastectomy. Today, she is a breast cancer survivor who often speaks of her experience in interviews.
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue was diagnosed with breast cancer at the young age of 39 in 2005. This was just months after the doctor had given her the green signal. But because the Australian pop star had an intuition, she got checked again and was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. Within four days of her diagnosis, she underwent a lumpectomy and started chemotherapy. She was finally in remission in 2006. Today, Kylie openly talks about her journey in interviews and shares how she is still traumatized by her experience.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
U.S. actress and multiple Emmy Award winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus, at 56 years old, announced her diagnosis of breast cancer via Twitter in September 2017. She underwent a double mastectomy and six rounds of chemotherapy before finally going into remission. After fighting cancer, she began shooting for the last season of Veep. Her role in the season helped her earn an Emmy Nomination once again.
Mathew Knowles
While Mathew Knowles might not be a big celebrity himself, he is the father of celebrities Beyoncé and Solange Knowles. He was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2018, which was confirmed via a mammogram. Mathew realized that something was wrong with him when he found drops of blood on his shirt and visited a doctor who asked him to get a mammogram. Since then, Knowles has also found out that he has the BRCA2 gene mutation, which raises the risk of breast cancer, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, melanoma, and ovarian cancer. He says that breast cancer has been common in his family, which also puts him at high risk for it.
Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige is another famous celebrity who was diagnosed with breast cancer and managed to fight it. Since then, she has been speaking up about the importance of mammograms and the lack of research available regarding black women and breast cancer. The actress has also opened up about her own journey fighting cancer and how she learned the importance of mammograms quite late in life.
Joan Lunden
Joan Lunden is a breast cancer survivor who was initially shocked to find out her diagnosis. After all, she took good care of her health, got regular checkups done, and had no family history. In June 2014, Joan went for her annual mammogram, and the result was quite pleasing. But, since the former Good Morning America cohost had dense fibrous tissue, she also got an ultrasound. Unfortunately, the ultrasound revealed a tumor in her right breast. A core biopsy was performed, which confirmed that Joan had breast cancer.
Joan immediately began her treatment with chemotherapy, lumpectomy, and radiation. Today, Joan Lunden tries to spread awareness about breast cancer and the importance of self-examination and screenings.
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006, for which she underwent a lumpectomy and radiation. Sheryl had no signs and symptoms of the cancer, and she was diagnosed on the basis of her yearly mammograms. The Grammy Award-winning singer uses her status as a celebrity to encourage people to get their yearly screening done as early detection of breast cancer leads to a better prognosis.
Robin Roberts
In 2007, during a self-exam, Robin Roberts found a lump in her breast. She immediately went to a doctor and got an ultrasound as well as a biopsy done. The results were not pleasant as Robin Roberts was diagnosed with a fast-growing triple negative cancer. The co-anchor of Good Morning America began her treatment and underwent a lumpectomy. She was also given rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy to fight off the cancer, which she thankfully did. The celebrity now speaks of the importance of breast self-exams so that people can identify if something is wrong with them and get help.
Melissa Etheridge
The iconic singer Melissa Etheridge has a family history of cancer, as her mother, father, aunt, and grandmother suffered from it. So, when she found a lump in her breast at the age of 43, she went in denial. She couldn’t believe this was happening to her. However, Melissa did go to doctors to get a proper diagnosis and begin her treatment. Initially, she was diagnosed to be suffering from stage III breast cancer, but after a few more tests, the doctors corrected their diagnosis and said that Melissa was suffering from stage II breast cancer. This meant that there was a better chance of her fighting cancer as it had not metastasized far away from the breast. Melissa began her treatment, and soon after, in 2005, she created headlines by performing bald at the Grammy Awards. The singer also wrote a song for breast cancer survivors, I Run For Life, and gave all the royalties from it to charities revolving around breast cancer.
Giuliana Rancic
In October 2011, Giuliana Rancic was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer when she got a mammogram done. At the time, Guiliana was trying to get pregnant, and the mammogram was performed before she could receive another round of IVF.
The former E! News host did not let her diagnosis of breast cancer hold her back. She quickly began her treatment plan, and by December 2011, she had undergone a double mastectomy along with reconstructive surgery. She even had a son through surrogacy in August 2012. Moreover, the star of E! ‘s Giuliana & Bill show also came up with Fab-U-Wish, a program for women undergoing treatment for breast cancer. This program is no ordinary program as it helps these women fulfill their glamorous fashion and celebrity-themed wishes in association with The Pink Agenda.
Wanda Sykes
Wanda Sykes had breast reduction surgery. The surgery was successful, but then pathologists found out that she had early-stage breast cancer, ductal carcinoma in situ, in her left breast. The comedian soon got a double mastectomy as a preventative measure, as she had a family history of breast cancer on her maternal side.
Kathy Bates
In 2012, Kathy Bates was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. The American actress began her treatment and had a double mastectomy done. This led to her getting lymphedema, which causes swelling in the body’s extremities. While lymphedema is untreatable, the Academy Award-winning actress has been managing it through physical therapy and weight loss. Today, she has shared her journey of cancer with millions and is the spokeswoman for the Lymphatic Education and Research Network, through which she shares more and more information about lymphedema and how to deal with it.
Tig Notaro
Tig Notaro took her diagnosis of breast cancer from the doctors and turned it into one of her most popular comedy sets. In 2012, the comedian took to the stage and revealed to the audience that she had cancer.
In 2015, a documentary called Tig was released. The film follows Notaro’s journey from being diagnosed with breast cancer to sharing her story with the public.
Betsy Johnson
Betsy Johnson learned about her breast cancer unexpectedly as she hurried to the doctor after one of her breast implants began leaking in 1999. Initially, she hid the fact that she had breast cancer and got treatment for it as she was scared that it might affect her business. She only shared the details with her daughter so that she could help out. But soon, Betsy realized the importance of being vocal about breast cancer, and since then, she has been a spokesperson for it.
Gloria Steinem
Gloria Steinem was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1986, for which she got a lumpectomy. She became a cancer survivor and went on to spread awareness about it. She encourages breast cancer screening for all and has several times written and spoken up about the injustices against women.
Jaclyn Smith
Jaclyn Smith was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002 through one of her yearly mammograms. She began her treatment and got a lumpectomy done along with radiation. She has talked about her cancer journey and how she dealt with it in interviews. In an interview with CNN, she shared how important her girlfriends were throughout her journey because even though she had her husband, who was extremely supportive, it was her friends who made a real difference.
Janice Dickinson
Janice Dickinson’s right breast had a small lump for which her doctor advised her to get a biopsy done. The biopsy’s results confirmed that Janice had breast cancer, but fortunately, it was an early stage of ductal carcinoma in situ.
According to the reality TV star, the lump was painful on the touch, and it was the pain that made her realize that she had something serious. But she didn’t let her fears overpower her and began her journey to recovery.
To beat the cancer, she had to undergo two lumpectomies and eight weeks of radiation. Previously, Dickinson suffered from anorexia, bulimia, and alcohol addiction. She has also had cosmetic surgeries done.
The former supermodel’s husband, Robert Gerner, who was her fiance at the time of her diagnosis, is a psychiatrist. He has shared the impacts of breast cancer on his wife’s personality. He has clearly said that his bride has now become quieter and that he would now even find her contemplating and meditating at times.
Sandra Lee
Sandra Lee was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ, a type of breast cancer, in 2015 through one of her yearly screening mammograms. The celebrity chef had a lumpectomy to treat the cancer, but post-operation, the doctors informed Sandra that they did not have clean margins by the end of the lumpectomy. They advised her to get a double mastectomy. And so, she did!
After the double mastectomy, Lee suffered from post-op complications and had to have another surgery to fight the infection. Since her cancer, Lee has talked about how women should begin getting their yearly mammograms from an early age and not wait until they are in their 50s, as she herself was diagnosed with cancer before she reached 50.
Peter Criss
While most breast cancer cases occur in women, men can get it too, and Peter Criss is the living proof of it. In 2009, Peter Criss from the band Kiss told CNN that he felt like “the luckiest man on the planet” after fighting breast cancer. Two years ago, Peter first noticed a lump in his left breast, which his doctor confirmed was cancer. He began getting treatment for it. After going into remission, he kept making music, published his autobiography, and worked to spread the message that men can also be affected by this disease.
Rita Wilson
Rita Wilson’s initial test came back negative, suggesting that the actress did not have any sort of breast cancer. But, because she could sense that something was wrong with her, she got another opinion, and that is when her breast cancer was discovered. It was found that Rita was suffering from lobular carcinoma in situ. To become cancer-free, Rita got a double mastectomy done. She did not need any further chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Moreover, she also had reconstructive surgery.
Amy Robach
Amy Robach, known for her role as an anchor in Good Morning America, got a mammogram done in 2013 on TV as a way to spread awareness about breast cancer. The mammogram showed that the famous celebrity had stage II cancer, which she didn’t talk about until a month after the diagnosis. She immediately got a double mastectomy even though her doctor informed her that it was not mandatory for her to take this step, considering that her cancer was not too invasive. She also got chemotherapy to defeat the cancer.
