Jessie J wants to 'change the narrative' around cancer diagnosis
Jessie J wants to "change the narrative" for people diagnosed with cancer and encourage them to open up.
Jessie J wants to "change the narrative" for people diagnosed with cancer.
The 37-year-old singer underwent a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery in June after being diagnosed with breast cancer and she's proud to have been open about her health struggles in order to encourage other women to check their breasts.
She told the new issue of Women's Health magazine: “Surely this is an opportunity to change that narrative: ‘Oh, if you’ve got cancer, you should go away
and deal with it privately, quietly. No one should know about it. No one wants to see you look rough. And come back when it’s all done, and everything’s great.’
"That ain’t me. Even when I had the miscarriage, I did a show the next day. I sat on stage and I was grieving – and that was the show...
“I hear all the time from people who say that a friend checked her breasts after seeing me talking about it. They found a lump, and it’s cancer, but they’ve caught it early. I’ve got goosebumps. So, yeah, I’ll keep talking about how important it is.”
Jessie - who was diagnosed with a heart condition as a child and had a minor stroke when she was 19 - believes she has struggled with her health so that she can "help" others.
She said: “Since I was young, so many things have happened to me. I’ve always had obscure health issues that [doctors] can’t figure out. Nothing has broken me. And I believe I’ve gone through all the things I have to help people. Even if it’s just to write songs about it.”
TV presenter Davina McCall recently revealed she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, and though she doesn't know her personally, Jessie reached out to offer advice and support.
She said: “I’ve never spoken to [Davina] before, but I reached out and said, ‘This is what’s helped me, maybe it can help you”…[My advice to anyone] is the same thing I say to anyone who’s pregnant, had a baby, had a miscarriage or been told they’ve got cancer: this is your thing. You create the bubble that you need to survive.”
The Domino hitmaker - who has two-year-old son Sky with partner Chanan Colman - delayed her surgery so she could perform at Capital FM's Summertime Ball, and though it "p***** off" a lot of people, Jessie insisted it was the right decision for her own wellbeing.
She said: "“I p***** off a lot of people by postponing my surgery to do that show. But I knew doing the show was going to impact me personally, as Jessica. I feel guilty that not everyone who has to have cancer surgery gets that moment.
"There were 80,000 people cheering, not because I could sing well or wore an outfit they liked.
"It was: we love you, we’re behind you and we hope this goes well…We’re not handcuffed to having to sit down and be quiet and cry because we’ve got cancer. I’m going to sing Bang Bang as loud as I can.”
The full Jessie J interview can be read in the Jan/Feb issue of Women’s Health UK, on sale from 23 December. Visit https://www.womenshealthmag.com/uk/health/mental-health/a69750551/jessie-j-womens-health-interview/ for more.
