Kylie Minogue reveals second cancer diagnosis in 2021

Kylie Minogue has revealed she received a second cancer diagnosis in early 2021.

In a new Netflix documentary released on Wednesday, the Australian singer said she kept the news private and did not tell fans or journalists at the time.

"My second cancer diagnosis was in early 2021. I was able to keep that to myself," said Minogue, 57. "Not like the first time."

"Thankfully, I got through it, again, and all is well," she said. "Hey, who knows what's around the corner, but pop music nurtures me... my passion for music is greater than ever."

Minogue said she struggled to find the right time to speak about the diagnosis, especially during the success of her 2023 single Padam Padam. She said she felt like "a shell of a person" and did not want to leave the house at one point.

"I don't feel obliged to tell the world, and actually I just couldn't at the time because I was just a shell of a person," she said. "Padam Padam opened so many doors for me but on the inside I knew that cancer wasn't just a blip in my life."

She added that she wanted to share what happened so she could let go of it. She said she considered revealing the news during interviews but kept it to herself.

Minogue left hints about the experience on her 2023 album Tension. One track, Story, includes the lyrics: "I had a secret that I kept to myself / Turn another page, baby take the stage."

She said she needed something to mark that period. Minogue was diagnosed after a routine check-up and said she chose to share the information now in the hope it would remind others to get checked.

"Early detection was very helpful and I am so grateful to be able to say that I am well today," she said.

When Minogue was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005, she canceled the rest of her Showgirl tour and withdrew from headlining Glastonbury Festival to undergo chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The news was widely reported, and she received messages of support from fans and celebrities.

She postponed treatment to undergo IVF in the hope of having a child. She said she was 36 at the time and tried to have a baby before starting chemotherapy.

"If it had happened it would have been just shy of a miracle. But it didn't work out that way," she said.

Minogue was later given the all-clear. In 2008 she revealed she had originally been misdiagnosed. She performed at Glastonbury in 2019, 14 years after her planned appearance.

The three-part documentary, directed by Michael Harte, traces Minogue's career from her early role in the Australian soap Neighbours to her hits including Can't Get You Out Of My Head and Spinning Around.