Cancer specialist personal trainer, Becky, is based in Horsham, West Sussex, and shares her thoughts on what Jessie J and other public figures have revealed about their cancer experiences…
It’s not long since I offered commentary on a celebrity cancer story, and I think that the prevalence of them speaks to how common of an experience it is. This time, singer songwriter, Jessie J, has appeared on the cover of Women’s Health magazine, talking about her diagnosis of breast cancer in 2025. She’s 37 (in fact, a year and one day younger than me!), so she has been through this at a stage of life when she wouldn’t be offered routine screening in the UK, and I thought that her story is an interesting one for other reasons…
Jessie J in Women’s Health
The cover story of the current UK edition of Women’s Health is of another young celebrity who has received a cancer diagnosis. Jessie J found out that she had breast cancer in March 2025, and there were several stories in the media about her treatment during the year. Probably the most notable was that she chose to delay having surgery so that she could honour a commitment to perform a large gig in the summer, and Jessie does reveal more about her thoughts on this in the article.
A lot of people tend to want their cancer treatment to happen as fast as possible: many understand that time tends to be of the essence, and it’s widely reported that delays can cost lives, or mean that treatment is more extensive than it might otherwise be. So choosing to delay can seem a strange decision.
Jessie acknowledges her privilege – within the UK’s NHS system, wonderful as it can be, those of us who have engaged with it for any health reason know that the timing is the system’s choice, not the patient’s – in making this decision, which she was partly able to do as she received her treatment privately. She also states that the gig was incredibly important to her – this is a factor often ignored when it comes to patient autonomy, but it’s something that I relate to. The year I was diagnosed – with a non-life threatening form of sarcoma, which does make a difference – there was a long-planned (and expensive) family holiday due to take place. My family asked me whether I wanted to delay the trip (ultimately, it was booked for a time when I’d be between appointments and not receiving any kind of treatment), and I knew that I wanted to go ahead – I didn’t want to let anyone down; I’d been looking forward to this wonderful experience; and I didn’t know when we’d be able to re-book it for.
Staying in control of your schedule – even if only a little bit – can be important to patients, so honouring the fact that we had other plans before life intervened can help us through what comes later.
Jessie J on cancer survival
Following on from her point about keeping calm and carrying on (before the chaos sweeps you away), one of my favourite quotes from the piece is: “You create the bubble you need to survive.”
This was something that she said in response to being asked about reaching out to other celebrities and fans who are going through treatment. I thought that it was a profound lesson, and something else that I related to.
Sharing our stories is powerful and can be helpful for our own healing as well as the awareness of others. There’s also an increased pressure to be open and honest, as we live in the digital age of putting our lives on the internet… but what a lot of people forget is that we don’t have to share in the moment. Or in full detail.
Going through cancer – and other life-changing health conditions – is a huge challenge, and something that can help is figuring out what is best for you, rather than following the crowd. What I would ask anyone who isn’t the patient themselves, but a friend or other supporter, is to accept the choice that the patient you know makes. There truly is no right or wrong, other than what that individual decides.
I waited a while before sharing details of my own diagnosis, then I felt that it was all I talked about for a long time. It’s clear to me that I was processing the experience, as well as communicating my feelings, and I worried that people were getting sick of hearing about it, so I stopped talking. Several times late last year, I heard myself saying, “yeah, I should talk about it more”, because those who have met me more recently are less aware of my story, and it’s one that tends to help people to relate to me… so there may be an opening back up soon. I know that I will make the right decision.
One brings two…
I’ve had the copy of Women’s Health for a week or so as I type, with it lingering on my to-do list between Christmas and New Year. I’ve finally picked it up and written this piece on the day when another public figure has revealed that they’ve been through breast cancer treatment during 2025 – Dr Punam Krishan has shared an emotional Instagram post stating that she’s completed treatment and will share more when she’s ready.
Punam’s post is interesting to me because it reminds me a little of someone else – Dr Liz O’Riordan. Whilst Punam is a GP, Liz was a breast cancer surgeon when she was first diagnosed herself, and she has since spoken extensively on how much of a shock it was to have the tables turned and become the patient. Punam has touched on this briefly within her announcement, and I’m sure that she will share more in time.
Shock is something that many cancer patients and survivors will find relatable, including myself. Aged 31 with a mysterious lump on my abdominal wall, I don’t think I entertained that it might be cancer until I was ultimately sent for a biopsy, and even then the likelihood didn’t hit me until I was referred to a famous cancer hospital.
Whether a diagnosis is expected or not, shock can be a big part of it, and it’s something that we all process at different speeds. Yes, sharing our stories can be helpful to ourselves and others, but it’s imperative that this happens in our own definition of good time, rather than at the cost of our mental and physical health.
Public figures can be fantastic for raising awareness and improving our sense of their humanity. If you know someone who shares a similar experience, please listen carefully – you will help them a lot.