Former supermodel Carla Bruni is opening up about her battle with breast cancer, which she was diagnosed with four years ago. In an Instagram post shared on Wednesday, October 4, the 55-year-old revealed that she was able to avoid a mastectomy thanks to her commitment to regular checkups during her challenging journey.
During this period, she faced significant stress as her husband, former President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, 68, battled corruption charges and was convicted twice in a criminal court.
View this post on Instagram
‘I was diagnosed with breast cancer’
To raise awareness during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the former French first lady shared her diagnosis in a statement on Instagram, using both French and English. “Four years ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer,” Bruni began her video. “Surgery, radiotherapy, hormone therapy, I went through the usual treatment for this type of cancer.”
Bruni continued her message by emphasizing that she is “lucky” as her cancer was “not yet aggressive” when it was discovered. “Why wasn’t it aggressive? Because it didn’t have time to become aggressive,” she explained. “Every year, on the same date, I do a mammogram. If I hadn’t done one every year, I wouldn’t have a left breast today.”
Bruni encourages women to have mammograms
Advocating for Pink October, Bruni encouraged women to undergo important tests, by adding, “Because every year, on the same date, I have a mammogram. If I hadn’t done this every year, I wouldn’t have a left breast today.” Later in the post, the model accepted feeling “disgust” for taking so long to speak on the matter.
“I am not posting this to give you the details of my health. This disgusts me and I hesitated for a long time before speaking,” she said. “No, if I am posting this today because I have a single message to deliver. It’s a fundamental message for all the women who follow me – get your mammograms every year.” She concluded her statement by saying, “Do your mammograms. Your lives depend on it.”
‘I used to consume 30 or 40 Coca-Colas a day’
In addition to her husband’s ongoing legal issues, Bruni experienced deep sorrow last year due to the passing of her friend Tatjana Patitz, who died of breast cancer at the age of 56.
In January, the mother of two openly spoke about her struggles with alcohol, cigarettes, and sugar. “I battled all kinds of addictions. I used to consume 30 or 40 Coca-Colas a day,” she revealed, as per the DailyMail. Moreover, she admitted that she began smoking heavily during her teenage years and confessed to a daily struggle with alcohol, saying she would “drown myself every day” in it.