Myleene Klass has celebrated receiving the all clear from a breast cancer scare by sharing bikini photos from a luxury catamaran trip with her six-year-old son Apollo.
The 48-year-old television presenter urged women to check themselves after discovering two lumps in her breast while attending Wimbledon in June. She explained on Instagram that she casually folded her arms during a tennis match when she felt the first lump, followed by a second one.
Subsequent medical evaluations examined three cysts and three lymph nodes before doctors gave Klass the all clear. She stated that waiting for her test results went both quickly and agonizingly slowly, forcing her to reorganize her life around a new set of priorities.
Klass noted that having children is the first and final concern for anyone facing a health scare. She admitted that having an ultrasound scan was sobering after previously suffering four miscarriages in the past.
Celebration on the yacht
Following her clear test results, Klass jetted off on a luxury vacation where she enjoyed a sun-soaked catamaran boat trip. She wowed in a vibrant pink triangle bikini from Freemans as she posed for photographs on the vessel.
Klass later changed into a khaki two-piece bikini to enjoy a dip in the ocean and paddle boarding with her son Apollo. She looked happier than ever as she threw her arms in the air while spending time with her son on the boat.
The photoshoot also featured Klass posing at the front of the boat in her iconic white triangle bikini from I'm A Celebrity. Pushing her wet brunette tresses out of her face after climbing out of the sea, she soaked up the sun on the deck.
Describing herself as a fierce advocate for women's health who refuses to hide uncomfortable topics, Klass urged her followers to check themselves and seek second opinions. She expressed eternal thanks to her friend Sev, known on Instagram as @the_mutha_ship, for moving mountains lightning fast to get her seen and sorted.
Lauren Laverne health battle
The health scare comes as Klass's best friend and fellow presenter, Lauren Laverne, faces her own medical challenges. Laverne announced earlier this month that she had been diagnosed with a rare blood and bone marrow disorder.
Laverne's diagnosis comes two years after she publicly revealed her battle with cancer in August 2024, before receiving the all clear in November 2024. Having lost her mother to cancer in 2022, Laverne explained that anxiety about the disease kept her watchful over her health, leading to early testing and detection.
Speaking to Good Housekeeping about catching the illness early, Laverne said, "I think it's only when the storm passes that you realise what you'd been holding in." She recalled that on the day of her hospital discharge, she and her husband Graeme sat in their car and burst into tears before even starting the engine.
Reflecting on life after cancer, Laverne shared that going through major challenges expands an individual's emotional vocabulary. She added that she probably loves her life more now than before because she appreciates everything about it.
Understanding breast cancer
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide, affecting more than two million women each year. In the United Kingdom, more than 55,000 new cases are diagnosed annually, claiming the lives of 11,500 women, while in the United States, the disease strikes 266,000 women and kills 40,000 annually.
The condition develops from a single abnormal cell in the lining of a breast duct or lobule when damaged or altered genes cause cells to multiply out of control. Although genetics increase risk, most cases develop in women over 50, though younger women and occasionally men can also be affected.
When cancer cells spread into surrounding tissue, the condition is termed invasive breast cancer. In cases where no cancer cells have grown beyond the duct or lobule, it is diagnosed as carcinoma in situ.
Symptoms and diagnosis
The usual initial symptom is a painless lump in the breast, although most lumps are fluid-filled benign cysts. The disease typically spreads first to armpit lymph nodes, resulting in a lump or swelling in the armpit.
Medical diagnosis begins with a doctor examining the breasts and armpits, followed by a mammogram X-ray. A biopsy removes a small tissue sample to confirm or rule out cancer under a microscope, followed by blood tests, liver ultrasounds, or chest X-rays to assess if cancer has spread.
Doctors stage the disease from stage 1 to stage 4 based on size and spread, and grade cells from low, slow growth to fast-growing high grade, which carries a higher likelihood of returning after treatment.
Treatment and support
Treatment options include breast-conserving surgery or total breast removal, radiotherapy using high-energy radiation beams, chemotherapy anti-cancer drugs, and hormone treatments to block oestrogen. Outlook is best when cancer is caught early, supported in the UK by routine mammography offered to women between 50 and 71.
For more information, individuals can visit breastcancernow.org or call the free helpline on 0808 800 6000.
