Beyonce's mother, Tina Knowles has shared that she was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer.
In an interview with People magazine, the 71-year-old said she found out about the cancer during a routine mammogram appointment — one she had delayed because of COVID-19 disruptions. She opened up about the experience in her new memoir, Matriarch, to encourage other women to stay up to date with their health checks.
“I thought hard about whether to include it in the book because I’m usually a private person,” Knowles said. “But I realized there were lessons other women could learn from my story.”
She stressed how important it is not to miss mammogram appointments. “If I hadn’t skipped mine, the cancer could have been found even earlier — at stage zero. But because my 2022 appointment got canceled and I didn’t follow up right away, it progressed to stage 1.”
Knowles said she underwent surgery and is now fully recovered. “I’m cancer-free, feeling great, and thankful to God that it was caught early,” she said.
In her memoir, she also described how her daughter Beyoncé responded to the news. “She stayed calm, positive, and immediately focused on handling it in the most efficient way possible,” she wrote.
Knowles hopes her story will inspire more women to take their health seriously and not delay regular screenings.
