Sarah Ferguson Diagnosed with Breast Cancer
Sarah Ferguson stated over the weekend that she had already undergone surgery and is receiving treatment for breast cancer.
A representative for the Duchess of York, 63, tells PEOPLE, “Sarah, Duchess of York was recently diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer detected at a routine mammogram screening. She was advised she needed to undergo surgery, which has taken place successfully.”
“The Duchess is receiving the best medical care and her doctors have told her that the prognosis is good. She is now recuperating with her family, and the rep continues. “The Duchess wants to express her immense gratitude to all the medical staff who have supported her in recent days.”
“She is also hugely thankful to the staff involved in the mammogram which identified her illness, which was otherwise symptom-free, and believes her experience underlines the importance of regular screening,” adds the representative.
Two years have passed since Fergie opened up to PEOPLE about another facet of her health, her mental health. In July 2021, Fergie revealed that British newspapers at the time she made her public debut in 1985 at the age of 26 were full of demeaning headlines that gave her the moniker “Duchess of Pork” and pitted her against her close friend, Princess Diana.
“I had major mental health problems because of the trauma,” the Duchess told PEOPLE at the time. “It’s taken a great deal of work because I believed every word that the front pages told me. It was a self-shame. I’m stratospherically sensitive.”
She added that she spoke with her young daughters at the time and apologized to them for thinking she “destroyed myself.”
“That is really dark,” Fergie continued. “I had to work hard on the self-sabotage to explain it.” Additionally, the Duchess told PEOPLE that when she was compared to Diana in the media, Diana was “looking beautiful,” but she was viewed as “fat, frumpy Fergie.” Diana was married to Prince Charles at the time, and the Duchess was wed to Prince Andrew, Charles’ younger brother.
“We were just there for people to make a lot of money. At the time we both didn’t realize that,” Fergie said.
“Diana and I both had our own mental health issues, and she and I used to talk,” the Duchess added. “She said, ‘Fergie, remember one thing: When you’re at the top of the pedestal, it’s so easy to fall off. And you’re at the bottom. You just climb up.’ We were positioned as saint and sinner. And the most important thing was to remain robust together, and we did, no matter what anyone wrote.”
