Kylie Minogue announces she had second cancer diagnosis in 2021 | Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue revealed that in early 2021 she received a second cancer diagnosis, following diagnosis and successful treatment for breast cancer in 2005.
The pop star discussed the unexpected diagnosis before in a new Netflix documentary called Kylie, available starting today. “My second cancer diagnosis was in early 2021. I was able to keep it to myself… Not like the first time,” she said, referring to her first high-profile treatment.
“Luckily, I made it through. Again. And all is well. Hey, who knows what’s next for me, but pop music fuels me… my passion for music is greater than ever.”
Minogue said that after her treatment, she struggled “to find the right time” to announce it publicly, including after the huge success of her 2023 Grammy-winning single Padam Padam.
“I don’t feel obligated to tell the world, and in fact, I just couldn’t at the time because I was just a shell of a person,” she said. “There came a point where I didn’t want to leave the house. Padam Padam opened so many doors for me, but inside I knew that cancer wasn’t just an incident in my life. And I really just wanted to say what happened so I could let it go. I would go to interviews and every chance I got I would think, ‘This is the time,’ but I kept it to myself.”
She said her 2023 song Story, from her album Tension, references this period of her life, with lyrics such as “I had a secret that I kept to myself… Turn another page, baby come on stage.” Minogue said of Story: “I needed something to mark that era. »
In promotional material accompanying the documentary, Minogue said it was “my choice to share” the information and that she was diagnosed after a routine check-up. “There will be someone out there who will benefit from a gentle reminder to do their tests… The early detection was very helpful and I am very grateful to be able to say that I am fine today.”
Minogue, 57, was 36 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2005. She canceled the remainder of her Showgirl greatest hits tour and withdrew from her Sunday headliner on the Glastonbury Festival’s Pyramid Stage to undergo treatment in Melbourne.
Supporters rallied around her, including Elton John, fellow pop star and cancer survivor Delta Goodrem, and Prime Minister John Howard, who said: “I think all Australians feel for her and wish her well.”
But Minogue has been the subject of intrusive media attention, prompting Steve Bracks, premier of the Australian state of Victoria, to remind paparazzi and journalists of harassment laws, as well as “strict laws, laws on confidentiality of medical records, on access to details, on treatment: these are private matters between the clinician and the patient.”
After treatment, Minogue was given the all-clear. In 2008, she said she was initially misdiagnosed: “My message to all of you and everyone at home is: because someone wears a white coat and uses big medical instruments, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re right…I’m in good hands now, but it’s a fact that my initial diagnosis was that I was fine and I had nothing to worry about.”
Minogue returned to music with the 2007 album X, which produced three UK Top 10 singles: 2 Hearts, Wow and In My Arms. She finally got another chance to perform at Glastonbury in 2019, a performance described as “absolutely phenomenal” in a five-star Guardian review.
Subsequently, she remained a mainstay of pop culture, particularly after the huge success of Padam Padam, which returned her to the UK Top 10 singles chart for the first time since 2010 and earned her a Grammy for Best Pop Dance Recording. In 2025, she added a Christmas No. 1 to her list of achievements, with her song Xmas, and the accompanying festive album, Kylie Christmas (Fully Wrapped), also topped the charts, moving level with David Bowie and Eminem in the list of all-time chart-topping albums.
The new Netflix documentary is made up of three parts and directed by Michael Harte, who edited Netflix’s hit four-part documentary on David Beckham. In addition to Minogue, it features interviews with her sister Dannii and her former duo partners Jason Donovan and Nick Cave, among others.
Minogue added in promotional material accompanying the launch: “There are so many people for whom cancer is a part of their lives and, I get it; you just want to move on and put it in the past or leave it behind. But checks are extremely important. They can be intimidating and triggering, but be aware of their vital importance – and seek help if you need it, you’re not alone.”
