Pop star Jessie J has detailed her “worst day so far” since being diagnosed with breast cancer.
The “Bang Bang” hitmaker, whose real name is Jessica Cornish, revealed her diagnosis to the world earlier this month after spending an extended amount of time being “in and out of tests.”
Taking to Instagram Story Sunday, the British singer, 37, has opened up about some of the difficult moments that her early breast cancer diagnosis brought with it.
“Had my worst day so far yesterday since my diagnosis and the busiest three months I’ve had in years,” the “Price Tag” singer told her 13.9 million followers on the platform.
“Work. Toddler. Cancer. Life etc had my mind… Panic attacks/tears/big fears/anger/overwhelm/Bad.”
“And you know what helped?” she went on. “I ate a corn on the cob. Turns out it’s extremely hard to panic or cry while eating one. Highly recommend. [Instant] mood shift.”
Jessie J also took a moment to urge her fans to “acknowledge fear, anger, sadness, panic… and let it come up and come out.”
“Holding it in won’t make it go away. In any challenging situation in life. So when I posted what I did yesterday about my current challenge in life, also while making light of the situation,” she explained.
“That was one day in 10 weeks that I just lost it and was completely drowned in all the negative and bad feelings any cancer journey can bring. Which is healthy and needed IMO.”
The singer said she felt compelled to speak out about her diagnosis after receiving a large number of well wishes from fans around the world.
The messages, which told her to not to think about “the negative” or “to beat this you have to stay strong,” prompted her to unlock a new way of thinking about her health battle.
“Don’t get me wrong I know all are meant with [good] intention and love,” she said. “But it’s sparked me thinking about how interesting it is in what we individually see as being strong.”
“I have always advocated for being real. Honest in your feelings. We cannot heal what we don’t acknowledge,” she went on.
“I will cry. I will be scared. I will panic. I will feel all of it for a minute or even a full day.”
Jessie J continued, “And then eat a [corn on the cob] or listen to a song that lifts me up. Or laugh with a friend… and then go and be Mum, and go to work and show up and be what I feel 90% of the time. Strong, fearless, healthy, and make some jokes about it all because that’s my way.
“But I will not ignore the 10% that is fear and the sadness.”
In her initial post about her health, the singer told fans she had learned of her diagnosis two months ago, just before her single “No Secrets” was released in late April.
The Grammy nominee even pointed out the irony of her health battle.
“To get diagnosed with this, as I’m putting out a song called ‘No Secrets’ right before a song called ‘Living My Best Life,’ which was all pre-planned before I found out about this. I mean, you can’t make it up.”
The “Flashlight” vocalist said she will undergo surgery and “disappear for a bit” after performing at the Summertime Ball in London on June 15.