Jessie J, who is best known for her impressive singing career, has opened up about being diagnosed with early breast cancer and how it has impacted her life
Jessie spoke about her diagnosis(Image: Zoe McConnell / Women’s Health UK)
Singer Jessie J has said she’s not going to “sit down and be quiet and cry” due to her cancer diagnosis, instead vowing to sing as loudly and proudly as she can. The 37-year-old, whose real name is Jessica Cornish, has opened up about her diagnosis with early breast cancer and the impact it had on the way she lives her life.
The mother-of-one announced in June that she had been diagnosed with the disease, and her first surgery took place weeks later. In an interview with Women’s Health UK, Jessie spoke about how she postponed her surgery that month so she could take to the stage at Capital’s Summertime Ball.
She said: “I feel guilty that not everyone who has to have cancer surgery gets that moment. There were 80,000 people cheering, not because I could sing well or wore an outfit they liked. It was: we love you, we’re behind you and we hope this goes well.
“We’re not handcuffed to having to sit down and be quiet and cry because we’ve got cancer. I’m going to sing Bang Bang as loud as I can.”
Jessie J is best known for her music (Image: Zoe McConnell / Women’s Health UK)
Jessie is a mum of one(Image: Zoe McConnell / Women’s Health UK)
The lyrics to the song Bang Bang, which she first sang with Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj, are about having confidence and self expression.
Jessie wants to change the narrative around cancer and explained: “Surely this is an opportunity to change that narrative: ‘Oh, if you’ve got cancer, you should go away and deal with it privately, quietly. No one should know about it. No one wants to see you look rough. And come back when it’s all done, and everything’s great.’ That ain’t me.
“Even when I had the miscarriage, I did a show the next day. I sat on stage and I was grieving – and that was the show.”
And she hopes she is having an impact speaking out so loudly about the illness and not hiding away. “I hear all the time from people who say that a friend checked her breasts after seeing me talking about it,” she added. “They found a lump, and it’s cancer, but they’ve caught it early. I’ve got goosebumps. So, yeah, I’ll keep talking about how important it is.”
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In August, the singer-songwriter revealed she had to undergo a second surgery before the end of the year and therefore had to postpone her upcoming tour.
Her UK and Europe tour dates have been pushed back until April 2026, and the US leg of the tour has been cancelled.
After her surgeries, she returned to performing in September, at BBC’s Radio 2 in the Park in Chelmsford. In November she was seen hugging the Princess of Wales at the Royal Variety Performance.
At the time she described it as a “mum to mum” experience but both women have also had a shared experience of receiving treatment for cancer in the public eye.
Jessie also spoke to Women’s Health about how she reached out to presenter Davina McCall, who announced her breast cancer diagnosis in a post on Instagram last month.
The singer said: “I’ve never spoken to [Davina] before, but I reached out and said, ‘This is what’s helped me, maybe it can help you”…[My advice to anyone] is the same thing I say to anyone who’s pregnant, had a baby, had a miscarriage or been told they’ve got cancer: this is your thing. You create the bubble that you need to survive.”
Jessie spoke about her diagnosis in a new interview with Women’s Health(Image: Zoe McConnell / Women’s Health UK)
The London-born singer welcomed her son, Sky Safir Cornish Colman, in 2023, having had a miscarriage in November 2021.
Jessie has battled with ill-health throughout her life, having been diagnosed with a heart condition aged eight, suffering a minor stroke aged 18 and having briefly gone deaf in 2020.
She said: “Since I was young, so many things have happened to me. I’ve always had obscure health issues that (doctors) can’t figure out.
“Nothing has broken me. I believe I’ve gone through all the things I have to help people. Even if it’s just to write songs about it.”
The singer-songwriter has had three number one songs in the UK singles chart with Domino, Price Tag and Bang Bang.
Her latest album Don’t Tease Me With A Good Time was released on November 28, her first studio album in almost a decade. It is said to capture the raw highs and lows of her last decade. At the LP launch in London she said last month cancer has changed her outlook on life.
She explained: “I’m just grateful for the lessons and grateful honestly for the connectivity that has given me with so many people having cancer I wouldn’t have had the beautiful conversations that I’ve had. And I’ve been a better parent, I’ve been a better person. I’ve honestly not sweated the small stuff. Some things that used to stress me out don’t anymore, because when life turns into something that you feel like you can’t control, you just gotta sit down.”
Jessie was awarded four Mobo awards in 2011 including best UK act, best newcomer, best song for Do It Like A Dude and best album with Who You Are – and won the Brit Award for rising star in 2011.
Jessie also used the interview to praise her partner and ‘incredible’ dad, Chanan Colman. They first met in 2021 but kept their relationship relatively low-key until they were pictured together in Los Angeles in April 2022.
The singer and former basketball player went on to confirm their relationship while holidaying on Sir Richard Branson’s Necker Island.
She said: “Chanan’s the most incredible dad. He’s such a stand-up dad and guy, and the love he pours into [our son] Sky obviously then pours into me. “He’s also an ex-athlete, so he’s been really good for challenging me with how I’m looking after myself post-surgery… We don’t have a nanny, I have no assistant, it’s just us. My mum will come and help every now and again. But Chanan has Sky a lot when I’m working.”
The full interview with Jessie J is available in the new issue of Women’s Health UK, out December 23.
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