Jessie J won’t ‘sit down, be quiet and cry’ as she reflects on cancer diagnosis

Singer Jessie J has said she’s not going to “sit down and be quiet and cry” due to her cancer diagnosis, adding: “I’m going to sing Bang Bang as loud as I can”.

The 37-year-old, whose real name is Jessica Cornish, opened up to Women’s Health UK about her diagnosis with early breast cancer.

The mother-of-one announced in June that she had been diagnosed with the disease, and her first surgery took place weeks later.

In the interview, Cornish spoke about how she postponed her surgery that month so she could take to the stage at Capital’s Summertime Ball.

She said: “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.”

In August, the singer-songwriter revealed she had to undergo a second surgery before the end of the year and therefore had to postpone her upcoming tour.

Her UK and Europe tour dates have been pushed back until April 2026, and the US leg of the tour has been cancelled.

After her surgeries, she returned to performing in September, at BBC’s Radio 2 in the Park in Chelmsford.

Cornish also spoke about how she reached out to presenter Davina McCall, who announced her breast cancer diagnosis in a post on Instagram last month.

The singer said: “I’ve never spoken to her before, but I reached out and said, ‘This is what’s helped me, maybe it can help you’.”

She said that she is speaking out about her diagnosis to “change the narrative” of handling illnesses privately, saying: “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.”

The London-born singer welcomed her son, Sky Safir Cornish Colman, in 2023, having had a miscarriage in November 2021.

Cornish has battled with ill-health throughout her life, having been diagnosed with a heart condition aged eight, suffering a minor stroke aged 18 and having briefly gone deaf in 2020.

She said: “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.

“I believe I’ve gone through all the things I have to help people. Even if it’s just to write songs about it.”

The singer-songwriter has had three number one songs in the UK singles chart with Domino, Price Tag and Bang Bang.

She was awarded four Mobo awards in 2011 including best UK act, best newcomer, best song for Do It Like A Dude and best album with Who You Are – and won the Brit Award for rising star in 2011.

Her latest album, Don’t Tease Me With A Good Time, was released in November this year.

The full interview with Jessie J can be read in the January/February issue of Women’s Health UK, on sale from December 23.