Kylie Minogue Discloses She Was Diagnosed With Cancer For A Second Time In 2021

Kylie Minogue has shared that underwent cancer treatment for the second time in 2021.

The Grammy winner opened up about the condition in her new self-titled Netflix documentary, which premiered on the platform on Wednesday.

“My second cancer diagnosis was in early 2021. I was able to keep that to myself,” she explained. “Not like the first time.”

She continued: “Thankfully, I got through it. Again. And all is well.”

Pointing out that “who knows what’s around the corner”, Kylie added that “pop music nurtures me” and that her “passion for music is greater than ever”.

Opening up about why she chose not to share her diagnosis until now, the Can’t Get You Out Of My Head singer said it was something she didn’t feel “obliged to tell the world”.

“And actually I just couldn’t at the time,” she added. “Because I was just a shell of a person. I didn’t want to leave the house again at one point.”

Referring to her musical resurgence in 2023, two years after her diagnosis, Kylie noted: “Padam Padam opened so many doors for me but on the inside I knew that cancer wasn’t just a blip in my life.

“And I really just wanted to say what happened so I can let go of it. I’d sit through interviews and every opportunity I thought, ‘now’s the time’, but I kept it to myself.”

She did, however, address the subject in her music, albeit in a subtle way that passed fans by at the time, on her album track Story, taken from her 2023 release Story.

Kylie recalled: “I needed to have something that marked that time.”

In a press release to promote her Netflix doc, Kylie said she received her second diagnosis after a routine check-up, and said she made the “choice” to disclose her illness in the hopes it could help others.

“There will be someone out there who will benefit from a gentle reminder to do their check ups,” she said. “Early detection was very helpful and I am so grateful to be able to say that I am well today.”

Kylie was first diagnosed with cancer in May 2005, at the age of 36.

At the time, she was in the middle of a headlining tour and had been booked to headline Glastonbury, both of which had to be cancelled while she underwent treatment.

Upon receiving the all-clear, Kylie resumed her world tour, and made a return to pop with her 2007 album X and the documentary White Diamond.

She eventually made a guest appearance at Glastonbury in 2010, during the Scissor Sisters’ performance, and delivered her own triumphant set on the Pyramid Stage in 2019, in the Sunday afternoon “Legends” slot.