CNN's chief international anchor Christiane Amanpour has revealed that she has ovarian cancer and will be undergoing treatment.
Amanpour has been off the air for four weeks due to the diagnosis and on Monday used her nightly show on CNN International to announce the news and share a message with other women.
"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," Amanpour said. "And I’m confident. I’m also fortunate to have health insurance through work and incredible doctors who are treating me."
Amanpour pointed out that "millions of women around the world" were affected by ovarian cancer and emphasized the importance of early diagnoses.
"I'm telling you this in the interest of transparency but, in truth, really, mostly as a shout-out to early diagnosis," she said. "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."
Amanpour’s news was met with encouragement from other women who took so social media to share their own stories.
"Hi Christiane. I was 48 years old when diagnosed with stage III ovarian cancer, and I had the worst cell type to boot. That was 19 years ago. After surgery & 6 months of chemo, I went into remission. I never left. Here’s hoping the same for you," one Twitter user wrote.
"Praying for your speedy recovery my sister passed away from stage 4 ovarian cancer she decided not to do any chemo or operation," another commented.
"I am a seven and a half year survivor of stage 3C ovarian cancer. My oncologist has told me that I’m doing extremely well and chance for reoccurrence is very low! Sending prayers to you, Christiane. You’ve got this!!!" a third wrote.
"Medicine has allowed a family member to live with this disease for 4 years more than the original prognosis would allow. She's still fighting and hopefully will live a full life for years to come. We hope the same for you!" a fourth added.
Colleagues also used social media to voice their support.
"@camanpour, you’re not only one of the best journalists in the business, you’re also one of the toughest," tweeted Bianna Golodryga, CNN's senior global affairs analyst. "Wishing you a speedy and healthy recovery in the weeks ahead. No doubt you’ll end up on top. It’s been a privilege helping you and your extraordinary."
CNN Worldwide president Jeff Zucker wished Amanpour a full recovery.
"I want to applaud Christiane Amanpour for her candor, bravery and always working towards the greater good," he said in a statement. "As a cancer survivor, I too encourage people to listen to their bodies and get all early cancer screenings available to them. From our CNN family, we wish Christiane the very best for a full and speedy recovery."
Amanpour now faces months of chemotherapy and will serve as anchor to CNN Mondays through Wednesdays for the time being.
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Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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