Kylie Minogue fought cancer and survived but the process made her infertile. She chose to be comfortable with herself instead of focusing on having a family.
There are some moments in our lives that become turning points. There is no going back from there and moving ahead might be hard but worthwhile. It might be a momentous thing and ask a lot out of us. For everyone, those moments are different but they need to be acknowledged regardless. For pop star and actress Kylie Minogue, 52, that moment was likely at the age of 36.
The Australian star, who became a sensation in the late 1980s, began her career as a child actor. She was known for her role on the popular soap opera Neighbours. Eventually, she left TV for a singing career and her debut was released in 1988. From Europe to the US, she found fame everywhere but while she was charting success, her personal life took a back seat.
In 2004, she won her first Grammy Award for best dance recording, with the single Come into My World, according to Biography.com. It was also around that time her life changed forever. She was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 36. In 2005, she shared the news with the public and underwent surgery. She went through eight months of chemotherapy, during which she thought that her life had just come to a "hold". However, she never felt alone.
"People shone so bright for me in those dark days. The strength my family showed was extraordinary. The love, support and the kindness of strangers! I was so very aware of, and grateful for, all that had gone before me," she told Who magazine. It took her a year to recover and she started touring again from 2 006.
"My view of the world was different, my destination, for the most part, was the same. Broader, for sure. I was even more passionate about the people and things that I loved, but life as I had known it was on hold," she added.
She allowed herself time and space to process difficult emotions and feelings before continuing to work. She also acted in a few movies after that but never thought of getting married or having children and the primary reason was her diagnosis. When asked about it, she said, "It’s always such a difficult question to answer with a neat sentence, but cancer changed many things forever, and some things didn’t change at all."
She was quoted as saying by London Sunday Times Style magazine, "I was 36 when I had my diagnosis. Realistically, you're getting to the late side of things." She added that even though having kids wasn't on her mind, the diagnosis "changed everything" as one of the side effects of the treatment is infertility. She continued, "I don't want to dwell on it, obviously, but I wonder what that would have been like. Everyone will say there are options, but I don't know."
She opened up again when she hit a milestone in her life and age seems to have brought a sense of security for her. "I’m 50 now, and I’m more at ease with my life. I can’t say there are no regrets, but it would be very hard for me to move on if I classed that as a regret, so I just have to be as philosophical about it as I can. You’ve got to accept where you are and get on with it," she added.
She's also said that because she went public about her diagnosis, there was a "Kylie Effect" and women started getting mammograms. "I have people tell me to my face, ‘Well I went to get checked and I’m now five years cancer-free,'" she told Who magazine.
She doesn't mince words about the process of being cancer-free. "The lows, you hate them, but it is character building," she said. "I kind of hate saying that, but it’s true," she added.
Even though she doesn't want a family, she has found love. She's in a relationship with Paul Solomons, who is the creative director of British GQ, and happy with him. "I've met someone who I feel good with. It feels right. I can feel my face going, people say 'Your face changes when you take(sic) about him,' and it does. Happiness. He's an inspiring, funny, talented guy. He's got a real-life actual job! It's lovely," she added.
References:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kylie-Minogue
https://www.who.com.au/who-most-beautiful-2020-kylie-minogue
