CNN legend Christiane Amanpour has shared the news that her ovarian cancer has returned, after she was first treated for it in 2021.
The 67-year-old veteran journalist has been off the air on the US broadcaster for the past month.
Amanpour has now explained her absence, sharing that her cancer has returned in ‘fairly rare’ form, before she went on to encourage other women to ‘listen to your body’ and get checked.
‘I have it again, but it’s being very well-managed, and this is one of the whole things that people have to understand about some cancers,’ she said on the Changing the Ovarian Cancer Story podcast.
She continued: ‘I decided when I got back in front of the camera after four weeks — which included the surgery and a couple of weeks of recuperation before I started chemotherapy — I decided to say something because I actually wanted to do a service.
‘Not just to my viewers, but also to those who might be in a similar situation and I wanted to say what had happened to me.
‘I wanted to say listen to your body because part of the reason I got such quick care was because I listened to my body and went straight to the doctors.’
Amanpour, who was joined on the podcast by gynaecology oncology consultant Dr Angela George, explained that her current cancer has been diagnosed as ‘stage 1/2’, which means it’s in its first stage but had ‘adhered to the pelvis’.
‘Angela told me what it was and why I was potentially lucky because there were actually pain symptoms,’ explained Amanpour.
‘There’s often no symptoms so many women don’t know, so I feel that I was lucky.’
Amanpour, who is the US broadcast network’s leading international correspondent after joining CNN in 1983, first revealed she was being treated for ovarian cancer in 2021, when she told viewers she had undergone surgery.
She also shared at the time that she was preparing for a round of chemotherapy treatment.
‘I’ve had successful major surgery to remove it and I’m now undergoing several months of chemotherapy for the very best possible long-term prognosis, and I’m confident,’ Amanpour said on her London-based show at the time.
The anchor, who had been off the air in the weeks prior, pointed out that ovarian cancer is all too common, affecting ‘millions of women around the world.’
She added that she felt ‘fortunate to have health insurance through work and incredible doctors who are treating me in a country underpinned by, of course, the brilliant NHS.’
After speaking about her surgery and chemotherapy, Amanpour added: ‘I’m telling you this in the interest of transparency but in truth really mostly as a shoutout to early diagnosis.’
The reporter explained she wanted to ‘urge women to educate themselves on this disease; to get all the regular screenings and scans that you can; to always listen to your bodies; and of course to ensure that your legitimate medical concerns are not dismissed or diminished.’
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