Jessie J has shared that she has been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer.
The singer, 37, revealed the news on Instagram, telling fans she will undergo surgery following her performance at Capital’s Summertime Ball later this month.
“Cancer sucks in any form, but I’m holding on to the word ‘early’,” she said in a video message. In typical Jessie fashion, she kept her sense of humour intact: “It’s a very dramatic way to get a boob job,” she joked.
“I’m going to disappear for a bit after Summertime Ball to have my surgery, and I will come back with massive tits and more music.”
She explained that she has been “in and out of tests” in recent months and, while the news is difficult, she’s approaching the experience with her usual mix of honesty and resilience.
However, her breast cancer diagnosis marks the latest chapter in a life shaped by serious health challenges — many of which she has spoken about with striking honesty.
ADHD and OCD diagnosis
This isn’t the first time Jessie J — real name Jessica Cornish — has spoken openly about her health. Last year, she revealed she had been diagnosed with both ADHD and OCD, a discovery that came after becoming a mother to her son, Sky.
“Having a baby has let’s say… exposed it a lot more,” she shared on Instagram. “It made it feel less heavy and scary.”
Jessie said she always sensed she was “a little different,” recalling how, even as a child, she would clean her trainers with a toothbrush when stressed. “I’ve lived with 1,000 lists just to not feel like life will crumble,” she wrote.
While the diagnosis was a moment of clarity, it also brought a sense of relief. “I low key feel like [ADHD] is a superpower, as long as you look at it from the right perspective and have the right people around you that can navigate it with you.”
She acknowledged that sharing her mental health challenges wasn’t always easy, but said the response from fans helped her feel less alone. “I’ve always been honest in the journey I’m going through in life,” she wrote. “There are so many people going through this same thing. I’m just reaching out to hold your hand — because I need mine held too.”
Battling Ménière’s disease
In 2020, Jessie faced another health scare after being diagnosed with Ménière’s disease — a rare inner ear condition that affects hearing and balance. She was hospitalised on Christmas Eve after waking up unable to hear properly or walk in a straight line.
“Basically, I got told I had Ménière’s syndrome,” she said at the time. “I know that a lot of people suffer from it and I've actually had a lot of people reach out to me and give me great advice, so I've just been laying low in silence. Now's the first time I've been able to sing and bear it. I just miss singing so much and being around anyone.”
She added: “It could be way worse, it is what it is. I'm super grateful for my health. It just threw me off. On Christmas Eve I was in the ear hospital going, 'What is going on?' But I'm glad I went early and they worked out what it was real quick and I got put on the right medicine, so I feel a lot better today.”
Unfortunately, the condition affected her ability to perform. “When I sing loud, it sounds like there’s someone trying to run out of my ear,” she explained. In 2021, she admitted to breaking down after struggling to sing a song she once performed with ease. “I sobbed,” she wrote. “Six months in and I still couldn’t get through a full day without pain in my mid neck and throat.”
Despite staying mostly positive, she was open about moments of vulnerability: “95% of the time I am good. Positive and strong. But that 5% will grow if not acknowledged. So yes, sometimes, like yesterday, I break.”
Suffered a stroke and diagnosed with a heart condition
But Jessie’s health story begins even earlier. At nine, while performing in a West End musical, she was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a heart condition that causes episodes of rapid heart rate. “I was in and out of hospital while doing the show,” she told an audience at Advertising Week Europe in April.
Despite these early setbacks, she signed her first record deal as a teenager and graduated from the BRIT School — only to face another life-altering blow. “At 17, just after signing my first deal and finishing the BRIT School, I had a stroke,” she said.
The health issues didn’t stop there. She explained: “Then, when I was supposed to release my last album [R.O.S.E in 2018], I went deaf. And then I had a miscarriage. All these things have felt like they were keeping my feet on the ground.”
The singer said the stroke inspired her to write her breakout song Who You Are. Speaking at a charity gala in New York in 2020, she recalled the fear and uncertainty of that moment: “I thought that I was never going to get better,” she said.
“I feel so lucky that I was given a second chance at life. So every day when I am able to do this… it feels amazing that I’m lucky enough to be on stage, singing and living my dream.”
