Elle Macpherson reveals ‘shocking’ breast cancer battle

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Elle Macpherson has revealed she was diagnosed with breast cancer seven years ago — but refused to undergo chemotherapy to treat the disease.

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The former supermodel, 60, revealed to Australia’s Women’s Weekly in a new interview that she opted for “an intuitive, heart-led, holistic approach” to treating her cancer after receiving the heartbreaking news.

“It was a shock, it was unexpected, it was confusing, it was daunting in
so many ways,” she said. “And it really gave me an opportunity to dig deep in my inner sense to find a solution that worked for me. … I realized I was going to need my own truth, my belief system to support me through it. And that’s what I did. So, it was a wonderful exercise in being true to myself, trusting myself and trusting the nature of my body and the course of action that I had chosen.”

Macpherson consulted with 32 doctors and experts, some of whom recommended that she get a mastectomy with radiation, chemotherapy and hormone therapy. But Macpherson prayed on a beach in Miami before reaching a conclusion that she didn’t want to treat her cancer with chemotherapy and was opting to retreat to a home in Arizona with her doctor where she devoted “every single minute to healing myself.”

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Macpherson, who started modelling in the 1980s after appearing in an ad for Tab in 1982, was speaking to the outlet to promote her upcoming book, Elle: Life, Lessons, and Learning to Trust Yourself, in which she shares “wisdoms she has learnt through chapters” in her life.

In an excerpt obtained by Women’s Weekly, she writes in the book, “Saying no to standard medical solutions was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. But saying no to my own inner sense would have been even harder.”

Macpherson admits there were “absolutely no guarantees” her approach would work, but said it was “the right way for me.”

“I chose an holistic approach,” she writes.

“Sometimes an authentic choice from the heart makes no sense to others … but it doesn’t have to. People thought
I was crazy but I knew I had to make
a choice that truly resonated with
me. To me, that meant addressing emotional as well as physical factors associated with breast cancer. It 
was time for deep, inner reflection. And that took courage.”

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Now that she’s in clinical remission, the mother of two is opening up about her cancer journey for the first time in the book and her interview with Women’s Weekly. But she cautions that her decision is what worked for her.

“I’m simply sharing what I discovered through my own real experiences.
I want to help and encourage others to follow their heart and give things a go … follow their heart in whatever they’re choosing to do, not just when in crisis but for decisions, 
big or small,” she says.

“Learn to slow down and get very quiet and very still and feel what truly resonates with you without the outer distractions of everybody else’s opinions. It’s about using your heart as a compass in life.”

 Elle: Life, Lessons, and Learning to Trust Yourself hits stores in November.

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