Jessie J is opening up about her health.
The 37-year-old “Price Tag” singer opened up in a new cover story for Women’s Health, out now.
During the discussion, she addressed her early breast cancer diagnosis, delaying surgery, choosing to continue working, suffering a miscarriage years ago, her partner Chanan Colman and son Sky, and much more.
Keep reading to find out more…
On the events that led to her early breast cancer diagnosis:
“The mammogram was fine. It was quite comical, trying to fit my tiny boob in a fridge. But the MRI was my least favorite thing. I chose Bob Marley as my music, which was a big mistake, because it was so calm. And then the machine was like…’ she does her MRI noise again… ‘And he was like, ‘Don’t worry…’ It really changed my opinion of the album.’
On delaying her surgery to perform at Summertime Ball at Wembley in June:
“I pissed off a lot of people by postponing my surgery to do that show. But I knew doing the show was going to impact me personally, as Jessica. I feel guilty that not everyone who has to have cancer surgery gets that moment. There were 80,000 people cheering, not because I could sing well or wore an outfit they liked. It was: we love you, we’re behind you and we hope this goes well… We’re not handcuffed to having to sit down and be quiet and cry because we’ve got cancer. I’m going to sing ‘Bang Bang’ as loud as I can. And that was the moment I was thinking about as I was put to sleep when I had my surgery. That and my son’s face saying, ‘Love you, Mummy.’”
On working this year:
‘I had this heated conversation with my team when I found out [about the diagnosis] and they were like, ‘Let’s cancel everything.’ But what is this narrative that because you’re going through something personal or difficult that you park what you’re doing? Especially when it’s something that one in two people go through…surely this is an opportunity to change that narrative: ‘Oh, if you’ve got cancer, you should go away and deal with it privately, quietly. No one should know about it. No one wants to see you look rough. And come back when it’s all done, and everything’s great.’ That ain’t me. Even when I had the miscarriage, I did a show the next day. I sat on stage and I was grieving – and that was the show.”
On her miscarriage in LA four years ago:
“They say that when you have a miscarriage, DNA stays in your body. It would’ve gone into Sky; that makes me feel comforted.”
On her many health issues:
“Since I was young, so many things have happened to me. I’ve always had obscure health issues that [doctors] can’t figure out. Nothing has broken me. And I believe I’ve gone through all the things I have to help people. Even if it’s just to write songs about it.”
On raising awareness:
“I hear all the time from people who say that a friend checked her breasts after seeing me talking about it. They found a lump, and it’s cancer, but they’ve caught it early. I’ve got goosebumps. So, yeah, I’ll keep talking about how important it is.”
On her advice on dealing with a similar diagnosis:
“The same thing I say to anyone who’s pregnant, had a baby, had a miscarriage or been told they’ve got cancer: this is your thing. You create the bubble that you need to survive.”
On her fear for her son Sky:
“Because that was my instant fear: I’m gonna die and he’s not gonna have a mum. That was the thing that broke my heart.”
On her partner, Chanan Colman:
“Chanan’s the most incredible dad. He’s such a stand-up dad and guy, and the love he pours into Sky obviously then pours into me. He’s also an ex-athlete, so he’s been really good for challenging me with how I’m looking after myself post-surgery…we don’t have a nanny, I have no assistant, it’s just us. My mum will come and help every now and again. But Chanan has Sky a lot when I’m working.’
On changing her lifestyle following a diagnosis of endometriosis and adenomyosis:
“But I changed my diet. I went vegan and it improved my symptoms to a point where I could walk without pain. My period started to regulate, I lost all the issues I had with inflammation in my body and I was able to get pregnant and go full term 10 years later.”
On her mental health:
“ADHD and chronic stress are best mates. I thrive off highly stimulating situations. I don’t know how to…I’m a very stressful person and so I’m trying to be better at letting that go. The way I meditate is with a made-up word, with no connotations. I picture it being drawn in my mind. So if I’m in a busy environment, like at an awards ceremony, I think of that word and it pulls me back to calm.’
On motherhood:
“I’m more present since the diagnosis. I’ll be like ‘I’m clocking out. I’ll be back in two hours. I’m gonna go to the park or play dinosaurs and my phone will be locked in my bedroom.’ And that’s been good for me…I was teaching Sky words – I’ve got these alphabet letters that have animals on and I taught him the word vulture. And he went, ‘Wul-chah.’ I was like, ‘There’s my Essex boy!’”
On 2026 goals:
“Sky speaks Danish, so I’ve been trying to learn. I’m so bad, but I’m really trying, because I know I’ll have fomo when he’s older and [he and Chanan] are chatting and I have no idea what they’re saying.”
On touring and music:
“I wrote ‘Who You Are’ when I was depressed aged 17 because I wanted to look perfect. ‘I Don’t Care,’ on the new album, is about narcissists and one particular d–khead who isn’t in my life any more. I hope if someone still has a dickhead in their life, this song makes them feel they can walk away. For me, that’s the power of music.’ If I get women to check their b–bs and walk away from d–kheads, my work is done.”
For more from Jessie J, head to WomensHealthMag.com.
Another song on the album is also making headlines for seemingly being about a famous ex.
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