10 Celebrities who battled breast cancer

There have been many celebrity women who have had to cope with fighting breast cancer and super famous or not, all women battling the disease need our support.You know their faces and you may have heard they've had breast cancer. Here are their stories...


Martina Navratilova

In early 2010, tennis champion Martina Navratilova was diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer. After six weeks of radiation therapy, Martina happily reported in late September that she is cancer free.











Kylie Minogue

(Diagnosed in 2005 at age 36). It took two rounds of tests for doctors to find a cancerous lump in the Australian singer's left breast -- she was misdiagnosed the first time. She received a partial mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation. The singer now urges women to trust their gut when they go to the doctor. "Just because someone is in a white coat and using big medical instruments doesn't necessarily mean they're right," she told Ellen DeGeneres in 2007. (Health.com)

Hoda Kotb

(Diagnosed in 2007 at age 42) A routine checkup at the gynecologist turned up a lump in the NBC Today Show co-host's breast. Kotb underwent mastectomy and reconstructive surgery in March 2007, and, she wrote in a personal essay, "The world just suddenly snapped into focus. Everything that was important became totally clear." She said she wants to bring awareness to the disease and attention on the need for a cure. (MSNBC)





Cynthia Nixon

(diagnosed 2006 at 40)- At first, Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon was hesitant to reveal that a cancerous tumor had been discovered in her right breast during a routine mammogram. Nixon, best known for playing the responsible Miranda Hobbes, didn't want her condition to become public during her treatment. "I didn't want paparazzi at the hospital, that kind of thing," Nixon told the New York Daily News after treating her cancer with a lumpectomy and radiation. But Nixon, whose mother also survived breast cancer, decided to tell her story when she realized it might serve as an inspiration for other women at risk.



Melissa Etheridge

(Diagnosed in 2004 at age 43) The singer found a lump in her left breast during a self-breast exam in the shower. After undergoing chemotherapy and radiation following a lumpectomy, she was inspired to write the song "I Run for Life" about her battle against breast cancer. (Health.com)




Christina Applegate

(Diagnosed in 2008 at age 36.) When the actress was diagnosed in 2008 through MRI, she decided to undergo a double mastectomy to reduce the chance that the cancer could spread or come back. Applegate, whose mother is a repeat breast cancer survivor, had breast reconstruction surgery and plans to launch a foundation for high-risk women who can't afford MRI testing. (Health.com)






Olivia Newton-John

(Diagnosed in 1992 at age 51). When the singer and actress was first diagnosed, she considered foregoing chemotherapy in favor of alternative treatments like homepathy and acupuncture. She later said, "Common sense prevailed," and finally had chemo after a modified radical mastectomy. She now advises those diagnosed, "Don't go it alone," and recalls her husband with her at the doctor's office was better able to focus and ask questions about hte best treatment options.




Robin Roberts

(Diagnosed in 2007 at age 46). The "Good Morning America" anchor discovered a lump while conducting a self-breast exam. After completing eight chemotherapy treatments, combined with radiation, she's now considered cancer-free. She shared her story with viewers beginning with her diagnosis. (Health.com)




Maura Tierney

(Diagnosed in 2009 at age 44). The actress publicly said she was optimistic as to the outcome following her diagnosis. She had a breast tumor removed in the summer of 2009, and put acting on hold while she focused on her treatment. "I didn't want that phase of my life documented on film," she told the New York Times of her decision to drop out of the television series "Parenthood." She returned to acting in the spring of 2010, hitting the stage for a production of "North Atlantic."





Sheryl Crow

(Diagnosed in 2006 at age 44) A routine mammogram caught suspicious calcifications in both of the singer's breasts in October 2006. Crow immediately went on the offensive, canceling a tour to undergo surgery and seven weeks of radiation supplemented with acupuncture and herbal teas. Crow was able to skip chemotherapy because her cancer was caught early. In 2007, she petitioned Congress to fund research into possible links between breast cancer and environmental factors. (Health.com)