She has been open about struggling with her health struggles over the years, and on Wednesday Jessie J shared her shock diagnosis of early breast cancer aged 37.
The Price Tag singer, 37, shared a video on social media saying the disease had been caught ‘early’ and revealed she received her diagnosis before the release of her single No Secrets in April.
Jessie, whose Christian name is Jessica Cornish, told fans she would be undergoing surgery after performing at the Summertime Ball in London on June 15.
It is the latest in a string of health struggles for the British singer, who suffered a tragic miscarriage in 2021 years after being told she couldn’t have children. Happily, she welcomed a son called Sky two years ago.
When Jessie was just nine years old, she was diagnosed with a heart condition she had inherited from her father which saw her suffer a stroke at the age of 17.
Jessie has also spoken about her vocal health, with a diagnosis of an inner ear condition and the development of nodules on her vocal folds making it difficult for her to sing.
She has been open about struggling with her health over the years, and on Wednesday Jessie J shared her shock diagnosis of early breast cancer on Instagram
The Price Tag singer, 37, shared a video on social media saying the disease had been caught ‘early’ and revealed she received her diagnosis before the release of her single No Secrets in April (Seen in May)
Heart condition
The singer has been very open about her health issues in the past, revealing in 2012 that she inherited Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome, a heart condition, from her father.
WPW causes the heart to beat abnormally fast for periods of time and Jessie suffered a stroke when she was just 17 years old as a result of the condition.
She spent her childhood in an out of hospital, and speaking in her autobiography Nice To Meet You, Jessie explained: ‘I remember collapsing a lot and having seizures.
‘I was a sickly, skinny girl who had a slight green tinge to her skin because of the drugs and who was always in and out of hospital.
‘There would be times when I’d be acting normal and then I’d just collapse. It was only then that people would realise I wasn’t well. I suppose I was good at covering it up and I know I’m very good at that now.’
While appearing at Advertising Week Europe in London in April, Jessie recalled her childhood health issues.
Speaking at at 180 Studios, Jessie shared: ‘My health has always kept me balanced.
‘When I was nine, I landed a role in a West End musical, but then I was diagnosed with heart disease and was in and out of the hospital while doing the show. At 17, just after signing my first deal and finishing the BRIT School, I had a stroke.’
While appearing at Advertising Week Europe in London in April (Pictured), Jessie recalled her childhood health issues
Miscarriage/Fertility issues
The star has a diagnosis of adenomyosis – a condition where tissue which normally lines the uterus starts growing into its muscular wall.
Adenomyosis is linked to infertility and an increased risk of miscarriage and premature birth.
Jessie was told in 2014 that her chances of conceiving naturally were slim, but she declined an offer of a hysterectomy.
She instead decided to change her diet in the hopes she could one day get pregnant, she revealed in 2019.
Then in 2021, Jessie shared the news that she was expecting her first child after ‘deciding to have a baby on my own’.
However she later suffered a heartbreaking miscarriage, with doctors unable to find a heartbeat when she went for her third scan.
Jessie was left devastated after the baby loss, before going on to welcome her son Sky with her basketball player boyfriend Chanan Safir Colman in May 2023.
Jessie later confessed that when she got pregnant with Sky she was terrified she would lose him too.
She admitted: ‘Once you lose a baby, and you’ve been told it’s not going to be easy to carry, I just ᴀssumed I was going to lose him too. I had so many scans at the beginning. I spent an absurd amount of money on them.’
Jessie was left devastated after the baby loss, before going on to welcome her son Sky with her basketball player boyfriend Chanan Safir Colman in May 2023 (Pictured together)
Ménière’s disease
In 2020, Jessie revealed she had suffered with Ménière’s disease, a chronic inner ear disorder, which left her hospitalised on Christmas Eve with dizzy spells and deafness.
Ménière’s disease is an ear condition that can cause sudden attacks of dizzy spells, vertigo and loss of hearing.
According to the NHS website, an attack of Ménière’s disease may cause sufferers to feel like they or their surroundings are spinning, lose their balance and feel sick.
In an Instagram post at the time, Jessie told fans: ‘I woke up and felt like I was completely deaf in my right ear, couldn’t walk in a straight line.
‘Basically I got told I had Ménière’s syndrome. 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 everyone.’
Describing her symptoms she said: ‘I haven’t sung for so long and when I sing loud, it sounds like there’s someone trying to run out of my ear.’
Jessie went on to reveal that her ear ‘sounds like someone crawled in and turned a hair dryer on’.
In 2020, Jessie revealed she had suffered with Ménière’s disease, a chronic inner ear disorder, which left her hospitalised on Christmas Eve with dizzy spells and deafness
Vocal nodules/Acid reflux
Jessie also revealed she had been diagnosed with having acid reflux and vocal nodules, painful lumps on the vocal chords that can have a devastating impact on singing.
Promising her fans to be ‘honest’ with her post, Jessie penned: ‘I was asked to send a speech therapist a video of me singing something quietly, so she could hear my voice.’
Vocal nodules are hard, rough, noncancerous growths on your vocal folds that can be caused by overusing your voice and continue to grow if the voice isn’t rested.
The growths prevent vocal folds from vibrating normally as they stop them from closing which in turn lets air through and dries them out. This can change the pitch and tone of your voice and make it more likely for a singer to lose their voice.
Once nodules have turned hard they can only be removed through surgery, however Jessie’s went away with rest suggesting they were soft pre-nodules – which can go away on their own.
Jessie revealed her problems first began in February 2021 when she felt a constant burning sensation in her throat, which she initially put down to fatigue from recording.
However, the singer then began to suffer with major acid reflux and was prescribed antacid and a cocktail of other medications, but to no avail.
Jessie then revealed she had to endure having eight cameras going down her nose and examinations from six different doctors, who were left stumped by the cause.
The singer added that she was then put on an extremely strict diet which saw her eat ‘the same six foods for three months’.
The BRIT-winning artist added that she also had her bloods taken, throat swabs, acupuncture mᴀssages and soul work, but confessed she was ‘still in the same pain every day’.
After being told to rest and reduce all her talking and singing, Jessie’s nodules disappeared, but she has been warned by doctors that singing again will cause them to return.
She added there has still not been any reasoning provided for her problems with acid reflux.
Jessie also revealed she had been diagnosed with having acid reflux and vocal nodules, painful lumps on the vocal chords that can have a devastating impact on singing (pictured in 2020)
ADHD/OCD
Jessie revealed last summer that she had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) in March 2024.
In a candid Instagram post the singer, said that it had made her ‘rethink’ her whole life, but added having ADHD felt like ‘a superpower as long as you look at it from the right perspective’.
She also penned how having a baby had ‘exposed’ the conditions more before admitting that she knew she had been ‘a little different’ her whole life.
She wrote: ‘Hello. I was diagnosed with ADHD and OCD about 3 months ago. In telling people a lot of the reaction I got was “Yeah I mean we knew that” (which I’m sure some of you are doing right now) and of course I knew to some extent but having a baby has let’s say… exposed it a lot more which was comforting in a way, as it made it feel less heavy and scary.
‘But also in moments has made me feel like I can’t talk about it. F*** that. Here I am talking about it. Embracing it with the [world].
‘It’s weird when you know you have been a little different and felt things differently your whole life, and finally one day when you least expect it, someone really explains why and you can’t avoid it.’
If you have been affected by this story, you can seek advice at:
www.miscarriageᴀssociation.org.uk or by calling 01924 200 799
www.fertilitynetworkuk.org/access-support or by calling 01424 732 363
www.menieres.org.uk or by calling 01306 876 883
www.mind.org.uk or by calling 0300 102 1234
