Elle Macpherson has revealed she secretly battled breast cancer seven years ago but is now in remission after she refused to undergo chemotherapy.
The Australian supermodel, 60, revealed in her upcoming memoir, Life, Lessons, and Learning to Trust Yourself, that she took a holistic approach to her illness – going against the advice of 32 doctors and experts.
Speaking to Women’s Weekly about her diagnosis, she revealed: ‘It was a shock, it was unexpected, it was confusing, it was daunting in so many ways and it really gave me an opportunity to dig deep in my inner sense to find a solution that worked for me.’
After receiving a lumpectomy seven years ago, the WelleCo founder was diagnosed with HER2 positive oestrogen receptive intraductal carcinoma.
The doctor recommended Elle undergo a mastectomy with radiation, chemotherapy, hormone therapy and the reconstruction of her breast to treat it.
Elle Macpherson, 60, (pictured) has revealed her secret cancer struggle seven years after being diagnosed and why she refused to undergo chemotherapy
However, Elle – who is known in recent years for her holistic approach to wellness – decided against traditional medicine, as ‘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’.
Elle said she prayed and meditated on a beach in Miami to conclude she didn’t want to treat her cancer with pharmaceuticals, but rather ‘an intuitive, heart-led, holistic approach’.
‘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,’ she explained, later adding she thought chemotherapy and surgery were too ‘extreme’.
The model, who was known as The Body in her heyday, said ‘people thought I was crazy’ but she forged ahead anyway with a treatment plan that ‘resonated’ with her, ‘addressing emotional as well as physical factors associated with breast cancer’.
Elle revealed that she rented a house in Phoenix, Arizona for eight months where she ‘holistically treated’ her cancer under the guidance of her primary doctor, a doctor of naturopathy, holistic dentist, osteopath, chiropractor and two therapists.
Staying in the house alone, Elle said she spent her days ‘focusing and devoting every single minute to healing myself’.
While Elle is now in ‘clinical remission’, which she instead chooses to call ‘utter wellness’, she said her sons Flynn, 26, and Cy, 21, and former partner Arpad ‘Arki’ Busson had mixed reactions about her unusual approach to the cancer diagnosis.
Her youngest son fully supported his famous mother because he believed chemotherapy was ‘a kiss of death’, but her eldest had his reservations.
‘Flynn, being more conventional, wasn’t comfortable with my choice at all. He is my son, though, and would support me through anything and love me through my choices, even if he didn’t agree with them,’ Elle said.
As for Arki, who Elle separated from in 2005 after almost ten years together, the father of Flynn and Cy ‘didn’t agree’ with Elle’s methods but wrote a letter telling her how ‘proud’ he was of ‘the courage I was showing’.
She said she went against the advice of 32 doctors, and the wishes of her family, to treat her breast cancer without the usual medical methods, reported Women’s Weekly on Monday. Pictured with her sons Flynn, 26, and Cy, 21
Typical cancer treatment revolves around surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Cancer Research UK notes that some patients also use complementary therapies to feel better, ease the side effects of these treatments and improve quality of life.
Aromatherapy, acupuncture, herbal medicine, massage therapy, visualisation and yoga are among the most common examples, it said.
Meanwhile, alternative therapies are typically used instead of medical treatment.
Some examples include shark cartilage supplements, laetrile (a plant substance) and Gerson therapy, which involves following an organic vegetarian diet and undergoing up to five coffee enemas a day.
There is no scientific or medical evidence that these therapies can cure cancer.
Some might even be unsafe, trigger harmful side effects or interact with medical treatment, according to Cancer Research UK.
Experts agree that maintaining a healthy lifestyle is both important in the prevention of cancer and during cancer treatment.
Evidence shows it can help manage the stress and fatigue caused by the disease and treatment.
Studies have also found people who get exercise during treatment not only deal better with side effects but also may live longer.
International guidelines recommend patients stay active and get back to their normal activities as soon as possible.
Elle said she prayed and meditated on a beach in Miami to come to the conclusion she didn’t want to treat her cancer with pharmaceuticals, but rather ‘an intuitive, heart-led, holistic approach’