DANNII Minogue has revealed how close she came to losing her pop superstar sister Kylie to breast cancer.
Kylie, then 36, was diagnosed in 2005 and had a lumpectomy and chemotherapy before getting the all-clear the next year.
Recalling the ordeal, former X Factor judge Dannii, 53, said: “I remember when Kylie was really sick and there was the chance that we were going to lose her.
“As she recovered and the world was celebrating, we were all celebrating.
“I had lost my best friend to cancer and I was grieving. Celebrating and grieving.
“And at the same time, there were so many articles about women: What does she look like? How old is she?
“Because if she doesn’t look good for her age, she’s of no value to anybody. I just thought, age is such a privilege.”
Kylie, 56, launched her Tension world tour in Perth, Australia, on Saturday, ahead of UK dates in May and June.
About being part of a famous family, Dannii who posed, in leopard print for Stellar magazine, said: “I guess we’ve forgotten what it was like before.
“We have such respect for each other, and love celebrating each other. We know that’s special. Not every family has that.”
KYLIE’S CANCER BATTLE
In May 2005, Kylie revealed in that she had been diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer.
She was on the road with her Showgirl Tour, but paused the show and headed back to be with family.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Kylie Minogue opens up about life, love and staying grounded as she releases Tension II” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6363440404112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]Following her diagnosis, Kylie underwent a lumpectomy and chemotherapy and was declared cancer-free in February 2006.
The experience forever changed the pop icon’s outlook on life.
“Having cancer changed me,” she previously told The Sun. “It made me very human.”
She added: “Women would come up to me in the street and just hug me and talk about what they had gone through.
“I knew what it was like to be frightened of going in the shower because your hair would fall out, I knew how it was to feel sick and flattened and I knew what it was like to beg your doctor to let you stop taking the medication because it makes you feel so wretched.
“And then I knew what it was like to come through it, to stand back on a stage and to give hope to other women.
“You can get through it. We can get through this together.”